


Build a Close Connection

by FreakyPseudWriter



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Car Accidents, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fingerfucking, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Mutual Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Phone Sex, Phone Sex Operator!Reader, Secret Identity, Sex worker!reader, Shameless Smut, Smut, University, Vaginal Fingering, Widower!Obito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:00:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26917759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakyPseudWriter/pseuds/FreakyPseudWriter
Summary: Working as a phone sex operator isn't the most glamorous job nor is it a job you proudly announce to others. Nevertheless, you were happy to work a good job which paid generously and had lots of benefits. Life was good.One day, you get a new caller looking for a good time. However, there's a spark between Tobi and yourself that you can't ignore, not even for the sake of your professionality.
Relationships: Uchiha Obito/Reader
Comments: 257
Kudos: 472





	1. First Call

**Author's Note:**

> Well, well, well... I'm back on my bullshit and ready to delve into another new character ^^
> 
> To be honest, Obito was always a character which urged me to write something for him. Something nice and a bit smutty and fluffy and with a good touch of angst... You know the drill by now ;D The main topic of the fic will be pretty smutty though, just a little warning here.  
> I also plan for 7 chapters, but - as always - there's no guarantee it will stay that way. One, two chapters plus minus, though it's more likely that there will be chapters added as opposed to being deduced.  
> Anyway, enough explanations! I hope you guys will have as much fun reading this as I had writing it ;D Have a good day and stay safe!
> 
> I have a questionnaire running atm for a 1000 Follower Tumblr Celebration and it's about which fic of mine will be reworked and printed out as a little booklet and I would be happy if some more people would throw in their opinion[ here ](https://forms.gle/t5cCfzhj9SjkA6HP9). Thank you for your time!

Some would probably say that your chosen job was… not the most glorious. Some would say it was not the best job for a woman and only a step higher than a mere prostitute, while others would even go so far to say that your job was rotten to the very core and shouldn’t be practiced at all: "How dare you contribute to the impurity and sinfulness of unmarried and married men."

Maybe, these nasty voices were right. Maybe, you were doing something immoral by allowing others to masturbate to your voice. But from day one up until today, you always thought of yourself as a cheap therapy session involving some adult context instead of being a living, breathing, and handsomely paid sex toy.

On some days, these nasty voices were strong. They were echoing in your brain, reminded you that there were cleaner ways to earn money; that you could probably find a job in your original field of work (which you paid way too much money for, so it would be a shame to put your education to waste); that it was degrading to sell your voice like that.

Most days though, you were proud of your job—proud to work as a sex phone operator, but you still only told open-minded, close people about your job. You had heard enough prejudices already and you didn’t need another voice in the back of your head telling you that you were a bad person for doing so.

Plus, in which job could you have the benefit to work from home and make around eight hundred bucks a week?

More if you put in a few more hours, and due to your lack of a social life at the moment, you were able to save up a little fortune for rainy days.

Just like today. You were three hours into your shift. The sunlight filtered through the half-closed binds as you sat in your living room, legs resting on a foot stool while you worked away on your laptop to update your CV which would probably never see the light of the day. A thin silk kimono hung from your shoulder with delicate red flowers printed on the sleeves and flaps. Underneath, you wore your most comfortable tank top, cotton shorts and a pair of new stockings. Fine lace, caressing your legs like the fingers of a lover, little bows and straps criss-crossing over your skin. You had worn them the entire morning and enjoyed the feeling of them. They fit perfectly, a little luxury you allowed yourself after having racked up quite a bit of overtime the last month. You liked to wear them while making the calls. It made you feel beautiful, but that was the entire purpose of wearing stockings, after all.

The business phone rang and you muted the volume of your TV running in the background. For a moment, you composed yourself. It was like an actor slipping into his role before the big play. An improvised play, made up by the keywords the person at the other end gave you. One last time, you allowed your hands to run over the silky sleeves of your short kimono, then you took the call.

“Hello there,” you said in a normal, if only a bit sultry voice, “how are you today?”

Silence. For a second, you waited. There, some breathing, a weak gulp, then a low sigh and shuffling.

_A shy one_.

You sunk deeper into the cushions. This call would be a long one. “It’s alright, take your time. We don’t have to start right away.”

A hoarse laugh was the answer. _“Of course not. You’re paid by the minute.”_

The voice was definitely male, the tone a bit… dry yet light. And he was straightforward, so he probably wouldn’t appreciate the usual sugary reassurances you gave to your clients.

“You got me there,” you said with a smile, “but it’s still true.”

_“What’s your name?”_

“You can call me whatever you want.”

_“Is that your usual procedure?”_

“Making up a fake name was too much of a hassle, so everyone gets to decide for themselves what they want to call me.”

_“You’re honest.”_

“I always get in trouble for that, yeah.”

_“Don’t worry,”_ he chuckled, _“I like it.”_

Wordlessly, you pumped your fist. _Hell yeah, another one has fallen~!_

“Alright,” you continued with a smile on your lips, “so, what do you want to call me?”

Another long moment of silence. More shuffling, a little cough, then: _“I don’t know yet… Are… Are pet names okay? Or real names? I don’t know, I have never done this before.”_

“Whatever you want to call me, I will accept it. With some limitations of course, because I doubt I will react friendly when someone suddenly calls me a demeaning name without telling me first.”

_“Boundaries. Good. Okay, okay.”_ There was a certain jitter in the customer’s voice, telling you he was even nervous. In your mind, the faceless man was stroking through his hair with trembling hands, while the other was clutching the cellphone way too tightly. _“Uhm… Maybe we start off slow? Can I call you Angel?”_

“Sure. Had definitely worse.”

_“Alright._ Alright. _”_

You waited. While you did so, your toes wiggled back and forth while Netflix kept running on the screen. Nothing important; just a movie you had already watched a few times and there had been nothing else worth watching. Maybe a manicure was soon in order. Summer was approaching fast, maybe even some nail polish…

“Now that my name is set,” you said when the silence took too long for your comfort, “can I ask for yours? What should I call you?”

The question was deliberately worded that way. They could give you their real name or they couldn’t. Their decision.

He noticed that, too. Another moment of silence, then another chuckle echoed in the line. _“Aaah. Yeah, uhm… Tobi. You can call me Tobi.”_

“Tobi. I like it.”

_“And now? We’re just… starting? Going off? Should I describe myself?”_

“Oh, not necessarily. I would say we start with a bit of conversation. Except if you want to instantly hop into things.”

_“No, no. Talking sounds good. About what?”_

“About everything, really. What do you work as? Did anything happen today?”

His voice was almost… _relieved_. Definitely less tense than before as Tobi moved on clearly familiar territory. _“Aaah, I’m just a boring professor for an Engineering Course at the Ko… at a university. Lots of new students at the moment, so it’s busy with all kinds of paperwork. Mechatronics, if you…?”_

“I heard about mechatronics, but never really got to know what is entailed in that field. It’s about the co-dependence of mechanics and electronics, isn’t it?”

You had him hooked. Tobi jumped on the topic with an excitement reserved for children who just walked through the gates of an amusement park. Definitely the perfect choice to let him ramble on a bit to make Tobi more comfortable. He seemed a bit… down. Maybe his partner left him, maybe something happened at work—though he didn’t talk about it, just about some _“usual fights with Bakashi, the braggart”_ —maybe something else happened, but you wouldn’t pressure him.

The time came Tobi slowed down his rambling about the topic he obviously was invested in, only to come to a complete halt when he obviously ran out of steam. To be honest, you kind of missed the stream of words as soon as his voice died down, but you had a job to do and even though you were already twenty minutes in and definitely had him on the hook, you almost found yourself eager to give him his first experience.

“Damn, that was a whole lot. Seems like you really enjoy teaching.”

Instantly, Tobi sounded nervous once more. You grimaced. A step backward. _“Oh sorry, that was a bit too much, wasn’t it? I tend to ramble quite a lot.”_

“No worries right there, no worries. I enjoyed it a lot, and hey! I learned something new today, so thanks for that!”

_“No problem.”_ He laughed, still clearly embarrassed. _“Still, sorry for that. This isn’t exactly sexy, isn’t it?”_

This. This was it. Automatically, your voice slipped a bit lower, grew softer, became sultrier. “I don’t know about you, but talking to a teacher certainly brings some classic roleplaying to my mind.”

He grew red. He _had_ to be as red as a cherry, measured at the sudden sputtering and your mental image of him. Tobi seemed like an honest-by-default guy, unable to conceal his emotions or opinions in the slightest which also carried over to his body language and reactions. _“We-well… Certainly, there’re some… some really big implications… I mean, not that they’re small, it’s really_ big _, I mean—!”_

“Woah there, cowboy. Everything is alright. This is not a race, not a competition. And I don’t care how you look, how well-endowed you are or what your faults are. We’re only talking and having a good time together, that’s all.”

_“You… you don’t care how I look?”_

Automatically, you sat up straight. Something in Tobi’s voice made you attentive. A cold shiver wandered down your spine. Something was going on within Tobi, something important. He was asking you a serious question for himself. Maybe to feel safe, maybe because he wanted to truly know what this call would entail, maybe because he couldn’t believe that it would be like this. Instantly, you recognized his need for safety.

“Yes, I do not care,” you said clearly into the speaker and sunk again into the cushions, “I do not care except for your voice and what you describe me. Anything else is yours and gets to stay yours for as long as you want.”

More silence followed, but there was no way he would hang up on you now, so you waited. Waited and stared blindly at the colorful screen while you gnawed at your lower lip.

More shuffling, another (relieved?) sigh. _“Okay. Uhm… Right, so, I would feel good knowing that you have at least a vague image of me and would ask you to give me a vague description of yourself if you’re comfortable with that. Then I think it won’t feel as impersonal as…”_

“It is now. Got it. Alright, what do you look like?”

Another deep sigh, then Tobi spoke up, mumbling a bit as he did so. _“Black hair. Dark eyes, I dunno if a dark blue or brown… Average height, I guess… A bit on the thinner side, but I’m trying to work on myself and go to the… uhm, gym. I go to the gym. Yeah.”_

“Anything else you want me to know?”

_“No.”_ The answer came hard, fast and sounded definitive. A touchy topic, so you didn’t pursue it further.

“Alright,” you repeated once more, “well, I won’t tell you too much about myself, just that I have great lips, of course gorgeous hair and I'm right now wearing stockings which are to die for. Black lace and silk, and I absolutely love how they make my legs look.”

The talk drifted quickly into the dirty direction you always aimed for. You could hear Tobi swallow heavily and a little throaty chuckle following which told you more than enough.

Automatically, your head fell to the side as your nails tapped on the cushions right beside you. “So… would you like me to take the initiative? Or do you want to give me an idea where we’re headed?”

_“Oh… Is… Is just laying together for now alright? Like, describing it, and stuff?”_

“It sure is.”

_“Okay. Okay, uh… Wait, I just need to get to my bed then.”_

_Cute. He needs to get into the same position he’s imagining himself in. Still oh-so-honest._

The grunts on the other side of the line were nevertheless concerning. They didn’t sound like Tobi was already getting started, but more like… he was in pain and tried to suppress everything related to it. But you didn’t ask and the grunts didn’t occur again until you heard a door being shut and the last final ‘flop’ into the bedsheets.

_“Well,”_ he already sounded way more relaxed and slightly loosened up, _“I’m here. In my bed. Which is freshly made by the way, with freshly washed bedsheets and all that jazz.”_

“Very, very tempting. Who doesn’t like a freshly made bed?”

_“I know, right?”_

Tobi was flirting. Honest, weak flirting, but nevertheless flirting. Kind of sweet and definitely adorable. With a smile tugging at the corners of your lips, you closed your eyes and tried to imagine it. A guy laying in his bed. One arm angled up with the hand below his head, the other holding the cellphone to his ear. In your mind, he was wearing a simple shirt and loose trousers with merely a flimsy little bow holding everything in place. And of course, in your little fantasy, Tobi was already at least half hard, merely from the knowledge of what was about to come in the next minutes.

You had to know. “Palm yourself for me. Feel yourself, listen to my voice. Do you feel good?”

Another breathy chuckle echoed over the line. _“My. Uhm… Yeah, I do. The talking before helped and I’m definitely less nervous. About me being… turned on though… Not quite yet.”_

Not quite yet? A damn shame.

Closing your eyes, you slid further down the couch until you nearly laid flat on top of the cushions. Your legs were slightly spread, just enough for a single hand to weakly pat and caress your covered clit, while you emerged yourself into the scene. A bed, a man laying on top of the covers, you in nothing more than your stockings.

“We can work on that, if you want to,” you purred and were rewarded with a hasty gulp on the other end. “Or I could just start to describe what I’ve been doing to myself since you laid down in your bed?”

Tobi choked, coughed, only to start the maybe cutest sputtering you ever had the pleasure to listen to. “ _Oh._ Oh. _Oh well… This is… What have you…? I mean, what have you…?”_

“Oh, nothing much.” Lazily, you trailed a single finger down your thigh. “Just caressed myself, imagining it was you. Listening to your voice and trying to imagine what it would sound like when you cum. Right now, I’m touching myself. Really slowly. Just a single finger on my clit, rubbing and circling while I talk to you. I’m already a bit wet, Tobi.”

_“F-fuck…”_

“Just my hand reaching into my underwear,” you teased further, “and I think about your voice. You have such a nice voice. Just the right amount of rasp to it. For me, it's a huge turn-on.”

_“Angel, you’re killing me…”_ Clothes ruffled, and Tobi sighed lowly as he probably fisted his own half-hard cock for the first time. “ _Fuck. This is so…”_

“What are you doing? Tell me. Tell me everything.”

_“I’m… uh… I'm touching myself, too.”_

A little grin flashed over your face. “And?”

_“I… Fuck. I just got my… my co… cock out. I’m hard and I’m hurting and I’m fucking turned on.”_

Gods, it rarely happened you grew that hot and bothered by one of your calls, but Tobi’s raspy breathing and his reactions really did it for you. He was so shy yet eager, wanting and craving and still somehow denying himself. The complex differences were the reason you really allowed your straying hand to wander below the waistline of your hot pants and underwear, the fingertips dipping into your own wetness. A little shudder made your entire body tremble.

You sighed weakly as your fingers wandered lower and grew more restless. “Oh, that’s… great. Just great. I’m also wet for you. All hot and needy. Say, what would you like to do to me?”

_“I would…”_ Tobi’s throaty moan made you suppress a moan of your own. _“I would touch you. Touch you everywhere. See your reactions, memorize them. The little spots, like… Like the place right below the collarbones or the stomach or the small of the back… Fuck, this is—!”_

“Go on,” you spurred him on while your fingers sluggishly pumped into you, “that sounds fantastic.”

_“I would—! Fuck, I would undress you slowly. Pull off the stockings and relish in every inch. Part your legs and just look for a bit.”_

“At what?” Fuck, your legs clenched together on instinct. With one hand, you still held the phone to your ear, while the other fiddled with the waistline of your pants and underwear. More freedom, you needed more free room to work. “Tell me. Please, Tobi.”

His breathing picked up and another gulp echoed in the line. _“At your cunt. Just look, just for a second. Then, I would start to finger you. One finger at a time, pumping them in and out.”_

Your breath hitched when you started to do just _that_. Tingles spread all over your skin as you forced yourself to go slow—painfully so—to the rhythm of Tobi’s words, who seemed to gain more confidence the more he spoke. Between some quiet hisses and the telltale moans echoing in the line, his words made your suddenly spiking lust spiral out of control.

_“Slowly stretching you out. Feeling how you pulse around my fingers. Adding a third one. How do you feel about that, Angel?”_

“Tobi…” you whimpered. You were a helpless wreck of a professional worker; legs spread and your hands inside your own cunt. Gods, it really had been a long time since you were this riled up by some stranger with a nice voice.

He groaned into the phone, rasping out his next filthy description. _“I’m rolling your clit with my finger, just to feel you twitch and hear a little moan. Can you moan for me? Just… once—!”_

Eagerly, you obliged. To call it embarrassing how easily you were turned on by his voice would be an understatement. Your low throaty moan vibrated in your mouth, rolled off your tongue like sweet release itself. Gods, you needed to get out of these damned pants and fucked underwear! It felt like torture to free your hand and slip out of your pants, and like heaven to sink them back into your soaping wet cunt. Finally, some space to move around. Even the feeling of the rougher material of the couch beneath felt glorious as you wiggled around, trying to find a more comfortable position. When you hooked one leg over the backrest of the couch and let the other one dangle over the edge, you found the perfect place to be in: spread open and with this wonderfully rough voice in your ear, still moaning and gasping for air as he stroked himself.

_“Fuck, just like that! What are you doing, Angel? What are you doing to yourself?”_

“I finger myself wide open for you, Tobi. Three fingers in and I just don’t feel full enough. Can you just fuck me? Pound me into the mattress like I need it?”

_“I’m trying, fuck, I’m trying! Fucking, Angel!”_

“I’m so wet for you. I’m nearly slipping out of myself here.”

_“I’m so close, just moan one more time my name. My name, Angel. Make me come with your voice!”_

Again, you obliged willingly. You moaned his name, knowing in the exact second Tobi grunted that he found his peak, while your own fingers slowed down the tiniest bit to regain some composure. Finding your own release wasn’t part of the plan, but some aftercare for the client could be included, and Tobi sounded like he would be the type for it.

While you continued to sluggishly pump your fingers into you, you purred into the line. “Thanks, Tobi. That was a great… _talk_.”

Only gasps and exhausted sighs on the other side. You knew these sounds by heart, so you continued to wait, stoking the flames of your own lust to make sure they wouldn’t dwindle. You got your fingers dirty already, after all, no need to waste such a good base for a good orgasm.

“ _Yeah,_ ” he finally groaned, _“that was… needed. Good talk, good talk indeed. Thank you.”_

“No need to thank me. But it is appreciated.”

_“Can we stay on the line for a bit? It’s just… I don’t know.”_

Gosh, he sounded so lonely, so broken, so lost. Your heart ached a bit for the stranger. Fine, you wouldn’t only do it for the money here. Your sympathy for him was stronger than your job ethics.

“Sure.” Softening your voice was as easy as breathing to you. “Anything you want to talk about?”

_“No. Just… Knowing there’s someone else there is enough.”_

“Okay.”

Light silence followed. Light enough to still allow the quiet puffs and groans to breeze into your ear. You definitely knew why some of your customers enjoyed some of this shared silence right after you were done with them. Quiet companionship, tied together by something still so intimate as getting off together, despite miles and miles possibly between them. It was nice, knowing there was someone else _there_ instead of jerking off completely alone.

After some time, you didn’t know how long exactly, only that Netflix had the audacity to ask you if you were still watching, Tobi coughed weakly. A little sign from him that the mutual silence was broken.

_“Thank you. Can I… I don’t know, call you directly? I don’t think I want to change my talk partner anymore.”_

“Just ask the girls from before to send you through to the complicated one.”

_“You haven’t even given them your real name?”_

You smiled. “Maybe.”

_“Anything else I would need to know about you then, Angel?”_

“Nothing you couldn’t find out the next time you call, Tobi.”

Thankfully, his laugh rumbled again through the line. _“Alright, I see how this will go. Thank you. You don’t know how much you helped me today.”_

Before you could retort anything, the line was cut. Thankfully. Talking with three fingers inside you was extremely distracting. The orgasm which followed came quick and made you shudder from head to toe, your head tipping back into the cushions and silently moaning.

Another benefit of your work: you always were able to take some breaks to enjoy yourself.


	2. Second Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You didn't really think Tobi would call again. To be honest, you didn't even remember him until he called again, but when the memory returned, it hit you hard like a wrecking ball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned and I bring another chapter with me ^^ Seriously, the first reception of this fic was great and I hope the second chapter can deliver in both the smutty part and the little bit of friendliness I peppered in there ;D
> 
> Hope you guys like it! Even though it's again a bit shorter, I can promise that the next ones are only growing in length! See you all again in two weeks! :D

Honestly, you didn’t expect to hear from Tobi ever again. And to be completely honest, you nearly forgot about him until he called exactly a week later, nearly around the same time as last time. When you picked up the phone (this time busy scrubbing the inside of your microwave from a failed attempt of melting butter for some cookies), you felt as unsexy as possible: in long black sweats, a tank-top and hair pulled back to not fall into your eyes while you were elbow-deep inside your old microwave. The headphones over your ears had been playing your cleaning-playlist before your ringtone went off.

As soon as you heard his voice, everything came back to you.

Well, _everything_ in the sense of the intense orgasm you had, followed by the nice voice and the scarce information he had given you. Tobi. Professor at a university for… Mechatronics? He had decided to go with a pet name for you: Angel.

_“Hello, Angel.”_

All of these details immediately swarmed your brain when you heard the voice again, so his name rolled off your tongue easily.

“Hey, Tobi. You came back for more, I see.”

_“You remember me?”_

“Of course, I do.”

_“Not another empty phrase, isn’t it?”_

“You got me there. Probably shouldn’t try my usual standard-sentences anymore.” You grunted as you reached once more deeply into the microwave. “But really, I didn’t forget you. It was one of my… tamer calls that week.”

_“Tamer? Damn, I don’t want to know what other customers want from you, do I?”_

“Not really.” Sometimes, you also didn’t want to know. Though, it was your job to know down to the very last, excruciating detail.

To say that when one of your customers had been anonymously reported to the police for the very explicit fantasy of fucking a minor, even mentioning names and shit—"not really" was an understatement. If not for your contract, you would’ve recorded that shitty call and sent it to Terumi Mei as well. But as it was, your boss had done the deed for you, as she had all the good, 'juicy' details and credentials. In comparison, Tobi was an easy customer. You were grateful for every bit of his attention and his voice was definitely a nice difference to the other calls today.

Quickly, you pushed every thought about last week aside. That wouldn’t help you now and wouldn’t help you with easing Tobi from a stressful day of teaching at university.

Ever so carefully, you pulled your hand out of the microwave and discarded the dirty cloth in the open kitchen’s sink with a lazy flick of your wrist, all without making a single disturbing sound. It was only when you stepped over to the sink to wash your hands that this momentary calm was broken; the water hit the basin way too loudly and the soap dispenser groaned when you pumped a more-than-generous amount into your palm.

_“What was that?”_

“Ah, I just did some cleaning and washed my hands. Nothing big, really.”

_“Some… cleaning?”_

“Yeah. You don't know how _dirty_ my place can get.”

You basically purred the word _‘dirty’_ into the speaker, knowing full well the not-so-hidden meaning would push Tobi into the desired direction without having to reveal too much about your day.

None of your customers needed to hear about the troubles of the spots of old cakey butter splattered over the otherwise pristine walls of the microwave after all.

You flopped down onto the couch. The same spot as last week’s escapades you remembered suddenly. Smiling full of mischief at your own memories, you closed your eyes and began. “So… how was your day? Everything alright?”

To your surprise, Obito laughed. A deep, rumbling laugh. At the sound, the same mesmerizing effect of last time instantly came back: exploded in your stomach, bloomed in your chest, and flooded the rest of your body. You didn’t want to imagine the effect it would have on you if and when you two met at some point. If merely his voice could do all these things to you…

_“My day? It was alright. A bit exhausting, but alright.”_

“Students being a hassle?”

 _“More like… physical activity. Going to the gym.”_ There was something else going on there, but nothing you would pry into. _“I haven’t done that in a long while, so I… just need to grow back into things.”_

“Is this, like, a weekly appointment?”

_“Mhmm.”_

Nothing else. Another topic he apparently didn’t want to deepen.

There were customers who _wanted_ to talk, desperately so. They wanted the prelude just as much as the main part and aftermath, but Tobi avoided some of the normal topics you usually chose to cut into like the plague. Even though what you said was true, that he was one of the tamer callers last week and surely promised to be just as tame this time, there was something mysterious about him. Something unusual; just unusual enough to make him an enigma, despite the fact you could usually figure out people—especially customers—in the blink of an eye.

Most people in your kind of business did.

Time for a more _unusual_ method, then.

You leaned your head further back until it hit the backrest of the couch, and you asked the first question that came to your mind.

“What’s your favorite color?”

_“Wait… what?”_

“You heard me.”

_“Just a very unusual thing to ask, isn’t it?”_

“Aaah, I don’t think so. So, tell me… your favorite color?”

Another laugh, then he sighed. _“Well, before it would’ve been red or something… I don’t know, I feel more like blue lately.”_

Before. Another hint you wouldn’t follow, but you filed that information in the back of your mind. “Blue is nice, yeah. Red too.”

_“Why that question?”_

“Something small, unsuspicious. Your favorite ice cream?”

_“Chocolate and salted caramel. But why…?”_

“Why these questions? I already said so. They’re easy, light questions.”

_“And?”_

Time to present the unfortunate truth. “I know you’re still nervous. I also know from the way you’re talking that you’re exhausted or stressed. From what? I don’t know and also don’t want to know. I don’t care if you think I’m strange or if this call is too much or too little. If you don’t want to listen to me asking you if you’re more a dog or cat person, then you can always hang up on me.”

_“No, no! That’s not what I wanted… Fuck. Yes, you’re right. I’m nervous and everything hurts and I hate that I need this now, but this is… so much better than… everything else I have at the moment.”_

“Alright.” Relief flooded through you like the incoming tides. “Great. So… cats or dogs?”

_“Both. I like both. What about you?”_

“Ah, both have their advantages and disadvantages, don’t they?”

_“That sounds like a pretty awfully convenient sentence to hand out whenever you have to answer such a question.”_

“My, I’m really getting predictable here.”

_“You’re not the only one good when it comes to reading people.”_

The little smile flashing over your face did nothing to your voice as you cuddled deeper into the cushions and prepared yourself for the impact your next question would have. “Alright, then. You can read me as well as I can read you. But do you also know my favorite sex position? How I want to be fucked? Pleasured? Brought to completion, like some flowery descriptions like to call it?”

Indignant sputtering echoed over the line and your grin widened. Yes, you lulled Tobi into a false sense of security, only to catch him off guard. It was just so lovely, to hear him fumble with words and not knowing how to react to your sudden charge ahead. A little bit of teasing was easy with him and you enjoyed the little bit of control you had.

Tobi was simply and utterly adorable when he was confused. It took him a few seconds to regain his wonky composure, but when he did, the hoarse undertone and rasp caressing each and every syllable should be forbidden. At least, it should be forbidden for him to speak to you in that special way.

_“Oh, really? You really want to play it that way?”_

“Mhmm, I _do_ want to.”

_“Angel, your witchy side is showing.”_

“And you like it.”

Another low rumbling laugh. _“Indeed.”_

“And? What is your favorite position?”

_“Weren’t we talking about your favorite?”_

“Does my favorite really matter now?”

_“To me, it does.”_

So sweet. And so naïve. Despite everything, the warmth spreading through your chest made your smile widen. “I will tell you mine if you tell me yours first.”

A standard answer. Whatever he would say, you would match it easily; build a connection with the customer, raise your popularity with them to make sure they would come back to you.

 _“Uhm…”_ Tobi stuttered. Another moment of silence, then… _“Normal… Face to face is quite nice. I like to see my… partner when they…”_

“Come?” you asked with mischief and a little grin on your face.

 _“Yes.”_ Tobi seemed embarrassed when you spoke out what he was hinting at. He went on, his tongue hasty and stumbling nearly over the syllables of the next sentence. _“But sometimes, I also like to… Uhm… From behind…?”_

“Mhmm, doggy. Another classic. Both good choices.” Like clockwork, your body reacted to him. Lust warmed your chest, flooded into your arms and stomach, down to your fingers and up into your face. Gently, you rubbed your pulsing clit with the very tip of your index finger. The roughness of the sweatpants, combined with the delicious pressure made you moan, causing him to breathily moan the name he gave to you. “Fuck, Tobi… Can you guess what I’m thinking about?”

 _“A little bit, yes.”_ His breath grew heavier than before; a small hitch and nothing more, but it was just enough for you to know what was going on. _“Gods, fuck._ Fuuuuck _, Angel.”_

“You're coming up behind me. Your hands are on my hips, tugging me back into you. My ass rubs against your hard cock, just teasing. I'm rolling back into you.”

_“Sounds lovely.”_

“Just lovely? I hope there’s a little bit more to it than just “lovely”.”

His breathy laugh was music to your ears. _“Sorry, Angel, but I’m a little bit handicapped for more elaborate compliments.”_

You giggled in return. A far too girly sound for your tastes, and yet it seemed appropriate. Forgotten was the pain of the melted butter, and forgotten was the damned, shitty calls you didn’t want to take. You felt too good to care anymore about these insignificant things. What counted were Tobi’s voice and his fantasies which you could partly make a reality.

Closing your eyes, you tried to bring this reality into your mindscape as well; paint it in the nicest colors, and to lose yourself to the pleasure and the lust swirling through your lower stomach and curling in your guts.

Where were you? Ah, yes. Pressing your back into his front and feeling his hard dick pressing into the crack of your ass. Teasingly, you had rubbed yourself against the tempting hardness, enticing him with your silky-smooth description of the delirious act.

“I can feel how excited you are, Tobi,” you moaned into the headset, rolling your hips into the pressure of your own fingers, “Feel how much you want to fuck me. From behind, hard and fast. Riding me until I scream your name; shivering under each and every thrust, on my knees and hands while you pound into me. How much? How much do you want me?”

 _“Too much,”_ his low growl sent new shivers down your spine, _“way too much, Angel.”_

“What do you want to do with me?”

Today, there was no hesitation as Tobi started to describe how exactly he wanted you, filling in the gaps of the mental image you created. _“I want to press you into the nearest wall. Want to feel you up. Feel how much you want to be fucked. My fingers glide down and into your wet hole. Feel every inch of your body in the curve of my palm. Bite your neck. Can I bite your neck, Angel?”_

“Everything you want.”

 _“Fuck. Fuck, Angel.”_ More heavy grunts and a low growl. _“No worries, just a… small fucking bite—! Aah, shit.”_

“Your hands on my hips, teasing my hole with the very tip of your dick. Doesn’t that sound good to you?”

_“It does. Oh man, it does.”_

“You slide in. _Just_ the tip. Continue teasing me, Tobi. I like that so very, very much.” Your words were barely above a whisper. Nothing more than a quiet whimper, caressing every word with your tongue like you would caress him if he would be there with you. “Rock your hips against me, just the tiniest bit. The tip slides out, only to pop right back in. Can you feel that?”

_“On the very tip of my cock.”_

“Good.” Another lazy smile flashed over your face as your fingers dug into your clit. “Do it again. And _again_ , just for me. I’m clenching around you. Every motion, every little hitch of your breath, every small twitch of your hands… I can feel it, Tobi. Feel it and enjoy it.”

_“Can I go deeper? Sink into you fully? Can I?”_

“Of course, my dear Tobi. Anything you want.”

With rapt attention, you listened to the hitches of his breath, his moans and groans. It was music to your ears: a symphony of lust and desire. Biting your lips, you arched your back off the couch. Today, this was enough to get you going. No need to finger yourself, just the tip of your index and middle finger circling the center of your pleasure, together with the roughness of your sweatpants.

Simply heavenly.

“Fuck me,” you breathed, “fuck me, Tobi. Sink into me until I feel your hips pressing into my back, only to pull out.”

_“And then?”_

Always seeking for some guidance, searching for a red line he could cling to. Tobi was adorable in his shyness, so incredibly needy and clingy that you wanted nothing more than to hear him fall apart after reaching the glorious peak, and to hear his voice as he regained the sense of himself again in the hazy clarity that followed. And so, you described the sinful scene to Tobi in the softest, _sultriest,_ way that you could, all the while listening to his voice echoing on the line. “Then, you fuck me, just like how you want to fuck me. Hard, fast, you slide into me, and I take every thrust like it will be our last time. Do you hear me? How desperate I am for you? Chanting your name, begging you to make me cum until I see the stars. Tobi, please! Tobi, oh, Tobi! Make me cum, I beg you, please!”

 _“Angel! You’re making me—!_ Fuck _!”_

Tobi exploded with his chosen name for you on his lips. You actually heard the faint splatter of his cum hitting naked skin as you shuddered through your own silent orgasm, biting your lip so hard you thought you tasted blood. This only happened a few times before: that you came together with your clients, and only in the early days of your profession. Nowadays, you were too bored by their ever-constant grunts and demands for you to cum for them, or too irked by their kinks not aligning with yours, or annoyed with the sound of their voice, or…

Too many possibilities. But with Tobi, all the stars aligned. He was simple, sounded like a dream come true, and the scenes he set up with the little information he offered up to you were just what you needed.

If not for your professionalism, you would beg him to give you his number for a more private—maybe even personal—setting.

However, you weren’t that desperate. Thus, you kept silent as you recovered from your own orgasm, all the while continuing to listen to Tobi’s very own aftermath. His breaths came and went in ragged waves, and while he tried to calm down, you couldn’t help but to notice he was _wheezing_. Wheezing from the exhaustion of having to stroke his dick for a few minutes? Or should you take it as a compliment he was apparently losing his breath over your little conversation?

Only slowly, Tobi seemed to regain his composure. For a few more minutes, you waited, relished in the ripples of your orgasm as you still circled your clit. Waiting for someone was also part of their wordless deal, just in case.

Just in case Tobi wanted to talk today again.

And indeed. A few more minutes passed, in which Tobi’s breath calmed down enough for him to be able to speak again. At least enough for you to stretch out the conversation more.

_“Thank you. That was… needed. Thanks.”_

“No worries.”

_“I’m just… Getting back to where I was is… exhausting.”_

“Training is always hard. Can’t say that I’m trying anymore, to be completely honest with you.”

_“Yeah, but… yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t complain about it too much, I guess.”_

“Oh, it’s fine to complain. In my opinion, even though we do some things on our free will shouldn’t mean we can’t criticize them in a healthy way. Just because we like to do something shouldn’t mean we can’t see the bad sides of that.”

_“Even when that something isn’t done out of my free will, but out of necessity?”_

Tobi sounded… defeated. Defeated and weary; exhausted and dead tired. Beaten down even; like the world itself weighed on him and he felt the weight pushing him deeper into the ground with every inch of his body.

You smiled, knowing full well he would hear the lightness in your words. “Oh, especially then. If it’s a necessity, then the bad sides obviously jump into your face more. But despite all that, it shouldn’t stop you from doing what needs to be done, doesn’t it?”

It was the same with your job. Most of the time, you liked it: the freedom of it all, to be able to work from home in whatever you wanted to wear, the flexible schedule, and all the other perks that come with being in control in your own home, but then there were some days where everything was a bit too much—the unpleasant, heavy grunts of your customers, their sometimes-nasty wishes you didn’t agree or downright detested, yet nevertheless had to play them out with the same enthusiasm you used on other kinks. Just because you liked your job most of the time didn't mean you weren't allowed to see—and dislike—the bad sides of it.

_“Thank you yet again."_ He already sounded lighter than before, but not entirely convinced yet. That was fine, it was on Tobi alone to come to terms with his problems. Even though some tried to use you as a cheaper alternative to therapy, you just weren’t equipped for handling deep emotional distress or marriage counseling. _“It means a lot. Sometimes… some days are harder than others. Thank you.”_

“It’s fine. It will be like that sometimes.”

_“Will you tell me something about yourself if I ask?”_

“Maybe.”

_“That sounds terribly like you avoiding answering me.”_

“That also could or could not be true.”

_“Angel, you’re a really sneaky person.”_

Another quick smile flashed over your face. “A talent learned through hours and hours of practice.”

 _“Can’t you throw me a little crumb?”_ Tobi was smiling as well. You could hear it in the way his voice lifted the tiniest bit, a sliver of a better mood slashing through his previous seriousness. _“A little hint? Pretty please?”_

“Why is that so important to you? I mean, of course I’m flattered you want to get to know me, but I’m just…” You let the sentence fade away, more indicating than outright stating what the relationship between the two of you was. How the relationship between the two of you was supposed to be and always would _have_ to be.

Tobi sighed, and his sigh hinted at so much more than he would let on. _“It’s just… in comparison, I told you so much about me already and it just doesn’t seem fair to me. I’m always… you know, usually I want equality between people. That they’re on the same page at every turn of their conversation. This here… this isn’t equal. I’m trying to level the playing field for my own guilty conscience, I guess. Is that…? I don’t know, understandable?”_

It was. Somehow, strangely enough, it was understandable. And it fit with the current image you had of him. Tobi seemed like a person to want to know his sexual partners inside and out. He wanted the special connection between people, craved for the intimacy of two people coming together to show how much they loved each other. Tobi seemed like the kind of person to be _that_ kind of romantic; seeing the world through child-like glasses and not knowing others simply didn’t possess this kind of pink-tinted shades.

This talk—the phone talk together with getting off—was probably already so far out of his usual sexual exploits that it was a miracle in itself he found his way to you. A strange kind of miracle, but still.

Slowly, you sat up. For a moment, you thought of something to say, anything. Revealing something about yourself to a customer never occurred to you before, but with Tobi, it seemed right. Like it had felt right to choose this exact flat when you were searching for a place to stay.

“I…” You swallowed thickly. “I studied office management.”

_“Wait, what?”_

“Yeah. Heard that right, office management. Wouldn’t think that, right?”

_“Not at all.”_

“Didn’t find a good part-time job during my university days and needed money. So, what is the best choice to earn some money while still being able to study?” You shrugged. “After I found this chance and found out I was good at it, I figured it would be fine to continue working here. Haven’t regretted it since.”

_“And do you like working for the hotline?”_

You didn’t even need to think about your answer. “Of course! I’m not ashamed or anything. I have friends who understand, and a family who also understand, at least mostly.”

_“That’s good. Good to hear.”_

“And you? Do you like your job?”

_“Yeah, indeed. Just… I couldn’t really teach last year.”_

“Why is that? Were you fired or something?”

_“No… not really.”_

“Do you want to…?”

Tobi sighed heavily. _“Sorry, Angel, but no. Not… not now. Talk to you again next week.”_

The end came so suddenly that you stared blankly for a few minutes after you heard the telltale click of the line being closed. Only slowly, the realization simmered into your brain, and when it fully bloomed, you groaned and dropped back into the cushions of your couch. A major fuck up; that’s what happened. You pressed too hard, too fast, for something way too personal and possibly lost a potential long-term customer over your insistence.

But why, why, _why_ were you so miffed about maybe losing Tobi, or losing these little moments of your job that was going from good to deliriously great?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, all the kudos to Chisie. My knight in shining armor when it comes to beta-ing my fics T^T9


	3. Third Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After potentially scaring Tobi away, you really don't believe he will call you again. So, you're understandably surprised to hear his voice in your ear once more, tense and more pained than you ever experienced him before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-ho! Welcome back to another chapter! :D
> 
> This one is a bit more emotional than the others. I have to check if all the tags are properly set as with this chapter I'm bringing up a few things which might be painful to read about. I hope everyone who follows this fic will like the chapter and the ones following that one, as I hope to be finished soon-ish with everything ;D
> 
> Thank you all for your nice comments and the support! It means a lot to me ^^

The third phone call with Tobi came just at the right time. It was a welcomed distraction from updating your CV and trying to decide if the years of working as an adult phone operator should be emitted or outright offered on a silver plate for a possible future employer—not that you were actively looking for a job. You were just preparing yourself for the moment your current job might not…

Who were you kidding? With a low sigh, you pushed your laptop away from you and watched the text cursor blink in a mocking pattern of absolute indifference on the screen. No answer. Of course.

Truth to be told… on most days, your job was fine. You liked nearly every aspect about it: the flexibility, the enjoyable parts, and the coziness of working from home. But then there were days, like today—like _lately_ in general—where you doubted your profession. There surely must be more to life than being at home and helping your customers get off. Currently, there were no chances for advancement in your position. Nothing above you to strive for, to improve and advance. Nothing below you but unemployment.

Thus, you were busy updating your CV. A mind-numbing task, given the last time you did this was when you applied for _this_ job.

Today was also a pretty slow day, thus you were really glad when your work phone rang to keep your thoughts off things. One look at the time, and you found your heart beating the tiniest bit faster. It _could_ be Tobi… After the miserable end of last week’s call, you honestly didn’t think he would call again. Maybe, just maybe… it was him. It was the same time his other calls had come through, like clockwork.

Definitely not a tiny aspect you noticed… Definitely not. 

“Hello there,” you purred into the speaker after accepting the call, “what can I do for you today?”

_“Hey, Angel.”_

Immediately, you sat up straight in your wooden chair. It _was_ Tobi! He came back!

You didn’t have time to dissect why you were so happy about that. Merely hearing his now-familiar-voice and slightly exhausted tone made you close your laptop to focus entirely on him, instead of continuing to tap away without any real purpose. Again, a welcomed disturbance.

“Hey there, Tobi. Good to hear from you again.”

_“I said so, didn’t I?”_

“You did indeed.”

_“But you mean my sudden disappearance, then.”_

“To be honest, I was a bit worried I gave you a scare run for your money.”

 _“No, no. By all means, no. I was just… It was a hard day then. I’m better now, though.”_ Tobi sounded deeply apologetic. Like a small boy apologizing for forgetting his chores because he got stuck in a great game with his friends. Simply and utterly adorable, thus you couldn’t help but to melt and coo a bit inside your mind. _“How are you? Any weird customers lately?”_

“Not weirder than usual. Just the usual “Milk me” comments in the middle of a talk. You know how it is.”

_“No way. Milk me? Really?”_

You laughed. “You wouldn’t believe what some people say in the heat of the moment.”

_“Oh, I whole-heartedly believe everything you tell me.”_

“You really shouldn’t.”

_“And yet, I do so anyway.”_

A bit weird, yet you had worse callers. Proclaiming their love to you over the phone in the aftermath of their orgasm and trying to find out your address, or trying to get your real name from someone at the hotline. Weirdly enough, Tobi’s proclamation of trust felt even more intimate than these violations of your privacy. His trust. Just because you talked to him twice? Got him off with his private, maybe never mentioned fantasies? Talked to him in a nice, kind tone before and after?

What was it that made Tobi _trust_ you that much after just two talks?

Maybe, the weirdest thing was that you didn’t doubt it at all. Or, the weirdest thing of all was that you _trusted_ Tobi that he was honest when he said this; that he meant it; that he truly believed and meant to say that.

To say you were shaken up by his words would be an understatement. Quickly, you tried to regain your inner peace and find the inner seductress, but your voice was still a bit thin when you purred into the speaker. “That’s such a lovely thing to say. Thank you, Tobi. I hope I can live up to your trust in me.”

_“Again, I don’t doubt that.”_

“So…” With an awkward laugh, you tried to go to literally any other topic, no matter how visible your attempt was. “How was your day?”

His husky laugh was a mix of bone-deep exhaustion and honest amusement. _“Just another appointment at the… gym and another day of asking myself why am I even doing this. Nothing out of the ordinary.”_

He didn’t run away last time, so maybe… just maybe it would be alright to push further? Your eyes flittered over to the indecisive, damned text cursor, still blinking away without any worries in the world, before leaning back and crossing your arms over your chest. “Do you allow me a question?”

_“Just one, Angel?”_

“Just this one, but depending on your answer, there might be more.”

Another chuckle, but he was wary. Probably already sensed what you planned to do, but didn’t cut the call. _“Alright. One question.”_

One last inhale to brace yourself. “Thank you. Uhm… I know you’re saying “gym” like going to the gym and being active, but it sounds to me a lot like you are going through physical rehabilitation, due to some comments about being in pain and such… So, I wanted to ask if you’re okay? Like, in being alright physically?”

The question was definitely invasive. If Tobi decided to not answer, that would be fine. To be completely honest, your boss Terumi would already scold you for even asking such a personal question, but she wasn’t listening and would never know. At least, if Tobi didn’t hang up on you and file a complaint against you.

For a long time, you waited. Waited with bated breaths for an answer which might never come. You only heard how Tobi inhaled and exhaled, heard how he shuffled around and grunted weakly once or twice. He was thinking hard about your question; tried to find a way out probably.

Only after the longest time you ever waited for one of your customers, Tobi sighed resignedly—definitely resigned to the situation and your pressing question. _“Oh man, Angel… You’re pressing me against a wall here.”_

“Unfortunately, not literally.”

_“Ah, I appreciate the little flirt to ease the mood here. But there’s no easing the mood for this particular topic, I’m afraid. Well… I got… into a pretty bad accident a year ago. Like, really bad. Car did a barrel roll and caught fire. Half of my body is scarred as a result of the accident and the following surgery to replace a lot of stuff. My… there was someone else in the car. She…”_

You didn’t need the rest of the sentence to know what happened to the other passenger. _She died_ —measured at Tobi’s heavy silence; died due to the car accident, and Tobi believed himself to be at fault.

You kept silent, allowed him to think and form sentences. You gave him space, and that was everything he needed. A dam seemed to break; break down and open up as he continued in a tortured, low tone. _“She is… was… fuck, she is the love of my life. Rin was the gentlest person the world has ever known. A nurse at the hospital, a volunteer at the local animal sanctuary, fuck, she worked overtime sometimes to read bedtime stories to cancer-riddled children. She was the most beautiful woman I ever laid my eyes on, right up to the point I waited for her at the altar. And she died. Died on me because I fucked up. She didn’t deserve to die.”_

The unspoken “I did” hung in the air. Heavy, full of doubts and clearly haunted by nightmares. No wonder he sounded exhausted all the time. No wonder he seemed lonely. No wonder Tobi hung up on you last time. One year after a bad accident, it was an incredible miracle he was already able to try and work at his physical rehabilitation. But of course, his mental state was incredibly flimsy. Losing his wife… You had no way of knowing how that felt. Everything you said would be hollow and empty, so you kept your mouth shut and only listened.

Tobi just continued, not caring you didn’t answer or showed any sign of responding. _“And the worst is that I can’t even properly remember if I’m at fault for the accident or not! Not even the police and their fancy analytics could tell, and now I’m sitting here and asking myself if I killed my wife or not! The entire fucking evening is just a jumbled mess in my head, I can’t remember shit about it.”_ Another heavy, angry sigh. _“I just… I hate it. Hate everything about myself. My fucked-up memory, my fucked-up, hurting body, my fucking hand which can’t stop shaking every goddamned time I try to type a single straight sentence for a shitty PowerPoint or my teaching schedule or just anything! I hate my physical therapy, I hate every fucking second I spend awake at night because I’m scared of nightmares, I hate everything about myself, and I’m missing Rin so fucking much. Shit…”_

He was crying. Oh shit, he was crying. Paralyzed, you listened to the choked sobs rasping in your ears; too loud to be mere breathing, yet suppressed, like he was pressing one hand in front of his mouth to stop himself from screaming out loud—screaming his agony out into the world, to make them hear how much he was suffering.

But wasn’t he letting you know right now? Didn’t he open up to you at this very moment?

What could you possibly say to comfort Tobi, though? False sympathy wouldn’t help him. Hollow words wouldn’t help him. Anything you could possibly say would sound empty and be meaningless in the face of his bottomless grief. There was nothing you could do, nothing you could say to make Tobi forget.

And there was absolutely no fricking way you would even dare to bring your call back towards naughtier waters! How disrespectful would that be for his grief, his anger at the unfairness of the situation, his despair at losing his beloved wife?

“How was she?” you asked quietly. “How was Rin? As a person?”

_“… What?”_

“How was Rin? You said she was a nurse? And volunteered at an animal sanctuary?”

Distraction. Distraction had to do the trick. There was no way around it. With how much he loved his deceased wife, reminding him of her good qualities and living in happier memories might work.

Tobi still sounded like he was surprised by your question, but didn’t hesitate. _“She was… gentle. Always, always gentle. But I could her rile up like no one else. And when she lost her cool, just for a moment… she burned brighter than the sun. I couldn’t look away from her, not even for a second. She was like that even in kindergarten.”_

“Wait, you knew each other already in kindergarten?”

_“Our parents were friends. Imagine their happiness when we got together.”_

“And how did you…?”

_“We… I don’t know, it kinda just happened. Sometime in High School. I mean, I was always in love with her, but she fawned for quite a long time over our other childhood friend, Bakashi, the idiot. She lost that crush in High School and we started dating from there on onward.”_

“That sounds like it was lifted straight out of a YA-novel.”

_“Maybe, it is. It seemed to me like I was in some kind of movie when she accepted my confession.”_

His voice changed while he talked. From heavy and stricken by grief to lighter nostalgia, living in his memories just for a small moment of the day. A little smile flashed over your face as you noticed that little change, and you allowed yourself to relax back into your seat. Your diversion was working, that was everything which counted. Thankfully.

You felt with him... something you never had before, with another customer at least. To be fair though, you never had another customer like Tobi before. If you wanted to be extremely cheesy, you would describe him as a rough diamond among grey stones. If you wanted to hit the nail on the head, you would say Tobi gave off a clean, innocent vibe none of your other customers ever did, and if you wanted to be absolutely, completely, brutally honest with yourself, then you found Tobi the tiniest bit intriguing, in a way you absolutely shouldn’t find him intriguing. At all. He was a customer; you were the hotline operator. The best you could ever hope for was him trying to stalk you to the point of needing a restraining order.

Yet, here you were, listening to him reminiscing over his dead wife, Rin, who was something between Mother Theresa and some other kind of saint, according to Tobi and his memories of her saving him multiple times from detention, or other kinds of punishment for his self-destructive tardiness during his High School days. It was so cute, hearing him fawn and aw and ooh. So cute in fact you found yourself smiling yet again, full of warmth and relief he felt at least a little bit better.

Nothing even remotely sexual was going on. It was more like… he called a friend to feel better and you lent him a shoulder to rest his head on. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Tobi was in the middle of telling the story how Rin, the “Bakashi”-guy (another childhood friend of his, even though he didn’t want to admit it) and he once pulled a prank on the entire school by filling the swimming pools with enough gelatin to feed the school for years on end with badly tasting jello, when he suddenly stop in the middle of his sentence.

_“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t notice…”_

“What?”

_“That I was only talking about Rin. Sorry.”_

“There’s absolutely no need to apologize. It’s fine.”

_“But you aren’t…?”_

“What?” You cocked your head. “I’m just a cheap prostitute-substitute? Or not a therapist? You would be surprised how many people just want to talk.”

_“You surely have better things to do than listen to me lament about how my life went wrong.”_

“I actually do not. Besides,” you leaned back into your chair, smiling and warmth rising in your chest, “these stories sound great. Can’t say I did the same stuff when I was in school.”

_“Well, what did you do then?”_

“Aah, I was quite boring. A quiet wallflower. Always a book in my pocket, always in the back of the classroom. You probably wouldn’t even have noticed me if we would’ve gone to the same school.”

 _“Really?”_ Tobi almost sounded downright offended at the pure imagination of you not having done the slightest deed of mischief during your school career. _“Not even a small bending of the rules?”_

Your smile grew into a full-blown grin. “There might’ve been just one thing I did. The tiniest bit of pettiness.”

_“Your secret will be safe with me.”_

You knew what he was trying to do. Tobi wanted to get back from his trip down memory lane, wanted to deflect from himself and push his attention toward you so he didn’t have to dwell on painful memories anymore. As he didn’t sound like he would start crying at any moment now, you let it slide. Still smiling, you crossed your free arm over your chest and went back as you searched for the appropriate words to color your experience in a bright, favorable light.

“At the start of my second year, we got a new literature teacher. I don’t know why, but she was out to get me. Constantly calling me out in class, asking me questions, picking apart my essays in front of the other students. The whole nine yards.”

_“Sounds awful.”_

“Oh, it was! In first year, I loved literature and only a few weeks of her lessons and I dreaded nothing more. She sucked basically all of the fun out of it.”

_“And what did you do? Your one lone act of pettiness?”_

“I might’ve answered a difficult question out loud in front of the class… as if I was too stupid to understand.”

Your goal was met when Tobi howled out loud. _“No way! And I bet you were 100% right when you had the test?”_

“You bet I was. Best thing was that she couldn’t prove I was playing dumb as well. I swear, if looks could kill, I would’ve been dead on the spot.”

_“And what did she do? Stop the test?”_

“You know, that’s actually the best part.” Your grin turned evil as you remembered that particular great moment. “It was one of her evaluation days as she was a young teacher and was still in training. She literally couldn’t flip out on me or act offended. She needed to be the wise and adult teacher, while I got to be the clueless, helpless little student.”

More of Tobi’s laughter. You reveled in it, knowing it was you who got him out of his slump and was allowed to hear this laugh.

 _“That wasn’t just petty,”_ Tobi wheezed out, _“that was straight up evil! That poor teacher!”_

“She shouldn’t have ripped my essays apart. I was a cringey little girl in High School, with way too much time on my hands and way too many books in my head to stop making weird comparisons. I think I even wrote about the evolutionary jump between velociraptors and chickens to make a point.”

_“About what?”_

“That the difference between a High School teacher and a college professor is just _that_ big.”

_“What kind of essay would ask for such a comparison?”_

“One of her tasks to “prepare us for the real world”, as she put it. We were supposed to write a college application essay. I might’ve gone off the rails there.”

Tobi’s warm laugh echoed over the speaker. Gosh, it was so nice to hear that laugh.

In fact, it was just nice to hear any laugh which wasn’t downright hinting at something or even just remotely sexual. A refreshing breath of innocence. Rare when you were on the clock. It was… nice; nice to be able to do this for him. You didn’t even mind that you weren’t doing what you were supposed to be doing: keeping quiet about your private life and allowing the customer to live out whatever fantasy came to their mind.

Just the smallest snippet of your past. It couldn’t hurt, could it?

_“Oh my, Angel. That was definitely a good little prank to get back at that terrible teacher. Especially impressive as you were, in your own words, a wallflower.”_

“It helped that I didn’t think like a true wallflower. I didn’t want to be invisible or wanted to break out of that shadow or whatever. I just wanted a quiet life and to be invisible to live in peace. Better to read more books that way, you know?”

 _“Oh god, books.”_ Tobi actually groaned like a wounded animal. _“Don’t mention it. I have a true pile of unread books at home I absolutely don’t want to think about.”_

“Anything in particular? Maybe I can give you some tips on where to start?”

_“Ah, some of it is… well, self-help books on grief and such…”_

“A good point to start,” you jokingly said, but derived immediately from that topic, “but what else? Do you like fantasy, maybe?”

_“I’m more of a sci-fi guy myself, but yeah, there are some fantasy books in that pile.”_

“I mean, some epic fights, knights in shining armor, wizardry… Oh, wait. Sci-fi and fantasy combined? I might add a book series to your pile.”

_“An entire series? Do you want to kill me?”_

“No, just entertain you. Wait…” You pulled your laptop back into your reach. “Okay, there’s this book where a pilot gets injured and to help her rehabilitation, some shady corporation melts her brain with an ongoing MMORPG, so she can recover and still maintain her muscle memory and such. I just bought it out of curiosity, but then it sucked me in so hard I couldn’t put it away.”

_“Damn, if they could do that stuff for real…”_

Instantly, you squeezed your eyes shut. “Oh… sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

But again, Tobi laughed and that was enough to ease the tension in your shoulders again. _“No worries. Most of the time, when I’m done complaining, I’m done for a while. Okay, so a MMORPG? Sounds a bit like—!”_

“ _Sword Art Online_ , I know.” Your fingers halted over the keyboard. “But I was really surprised how the author turned it around. I swear, the sci-fi parts come into play with the second and third book, the first book is more about establishing worldbuilding and showing off how everything works.”

_“I mean, sounds interesting. Can you give me the title? Seems like a good addition to my pile.”_

As you gave Tobi all the info he needed to buy the book series, you only felt gratitude. Gratitude and sympathy for Tobi. For all what he suffered through, for all his doubts and misery and sheer, raw pain still living inside his chest and mind and which would probably never vanish completely.

Losing a partner in a freak incident like that… You didn’t want to imagine that. Not for a freaking moment of your day. Instead of falling victim to the bleak reality, you forced yourself to think about the good sides of this talk.

_Tobi seemed… happier at the end. Happier than when the call started._

_I'm glad I was able to help him. Just the tiniest bit._

With a renewed swing in your step, you went off to continue your shift, but your thoughts would drift off again and again… to the same rough voice and the same boyish, shy laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biggest Kudos for Chisie <3


	4. Fourth Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A collection of phone calls with Tobi, which sounds trivial enough, yet also a collection of fond memories you treasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, and welcome back! 
> 
> Another Saturday, another chapter! This one is a bit longer than the other ones, but I think this little collection of shorter moments portrays the growth of their friendship (and possibly more...? ;D) very well. I also took the liberty to add some other (copyrighted!) stuff in this chapter, which I didn't specifically name though, just described very vaguely. Once a movie and a book, and if someone can name me both, they get a digital cookie ;D
> 
> That would be it for this chapter! Hopefully, this will honor the start of the fic as well as continue the relationship of the MC and "Tobi" even further ;D Enjoy and all of you, stay safe and sound!

Talking with Tobi felt natural, deeply so. You always forgot the time when he called every week. Honestly, it was ridiculous how much that happened, especially considering Tobi _paid_ an almost absurd amount for these talks, so much in fact that Mei Terumi informed you that you had one of the most loyal and invested customers of the last month, congratulating you for the deep connection you had managed to establish between you and him.

You failed to mention to her that the original intention of your calls made way for… friendlier talks.

_“Fuck, Angel,”_ Tobi groaned, _“fuck… too much, this is too much for me.”_

“You can do it, I’m sure.”

_“Nooooo, I can’t! How could I possibly…?”_

“Oh, you’re definitely capable of it.” With a gleeful grin flashing over your face, you watched your toes wiggling back and forth as you relaxed on your couch; Netflix once more running in the background. “I sat through this movie as well.”

 _“Like, what the fuck? This is just… Girl, no!”_ He sounded like he was in pain; indisputable, terrible, unavoidable pain as he watched with you one of the worst literary adaptations you ever had the misfortune of laying your eyes on. _“What is he doing with her? What is she doing? What is everyone doing and this is, fuck, the second shopping montage of the movie?”_

“Just watch out for the next one.”

_“Another one? Oh nooooo…”_

He basically begged for it when he mentioned to have watched “Sharknado” and unironically stated that trash movies only had a bad reputation. You took his words as a challenge and decided to show him one of the worst movies you had ever watched. Thank god it was a Netflix production, so there was no problem for Tobi to also “enjoy it” to its full extent.

“Did I promise too much?” you asked, still grinning to yourself. His suffering was such a pleasure to experience. “This movie has nothing on “Sharknado”.”

_“I never wanted to experience this! You forced it—! NO! No, get out of there! Oh my fucking god, I never thought I would visibly cringe, but if I hear the sentence “What’s up, baby girl?” one more time, I might actually get a seizure or something from all the cringing I’m doing in this very moment!”_

At that, you just had to laugh out loud. It rang in between the walls and even overshadowed the trash-fest right in front of your eyes. The only mercy of this movie were the sex scenes and even those were… _cringy_ , to put it mildly.

Tobi put your emotions into words. _“Fuck, he looks so angry while he… fucks. Is he, you know, going to kill her?”_

“Not that I’m aware of.”

_“And why do they have aerial shots of the ship? Why was that necessary to show them fucking from above?”_

“They had to seize every opportunity they got, I can imagine.”

_“And the entire reason… they just fought because of stupid reasons and she fell off the boat because of him, and he saved her, and now they’re fucking because of stupid reasons? I don’t get it.”_

“Exactly. But they look good while doing it.”

_“Yeah, because of the aerial shots! But they’re still ridiculous!”_

You couldn’t deny it. Apart from the way-too-obvious flaws of the movie, the plot holes, the far-too-many _cringy_ moments knitted together in loose, illogical sequence of empty, and hollow scenes—the two main characters at least looked good enough to have physical compatibility. It was just enough of a spark to make the sex scenes bearable, _just enough_ to make you clench your thighs together and sigh weakly.

Pushing Tobi to engage in a bit more enjoyable activities right after this movie would be… kind of icky. So, you kept silent and continued to listen to him groan and whine about the movie, while you imagined a more-than-unlikely scenario of him coming into your flat and railing you right over the armrest of your couch.

Gods, that sounded incredible. Incredibly unrealistic, but still.

The credits started to roll to one of the more annoying pop songs they peppered into the movie and you turned the TV off. “And? What do you think? Just as good as “Sharknado”?”

 _“Worse. So much worse, oh gods.”_ It sounded like he had buried his face in his hands out of sheer desperation. _“Who allowed this trash to be produced, cut, released and promoted? I want to make a strongly worded phone call. Who even wrote this?”_

“I don’t know and I really don’t want to know. At least you can make fun of it to your heart’s content.”

_“Do they plan a sequel? Please, don’t tell me they plan a sequel.”_

“What do you think?”

Tobi’s wordless outcry of anguish made you laugh once more. In fact, you laughed more in these past two hours than in the last week since his last phone call. Tobi just had this effect on you and you loved it; loved to be able to laugh like this and make him suffer through the movie like you had suffered through it. It was like a train wreck. You couldn’t look away even though you didn’t want to watch it more than necessary.

After a few more minutes of Tobi excessively whining and crying about the wasted money, he slowly calmed down; only mumbling about terrible movies once or twice in the silence you allowed him to wallow in.

Grinning wildly, you decided to tease him just the tiniest bit more. “So… what’s up baby girl? Want to stay with me for 365 days in a bad attempt to build up a bad case of the Stockholm Syndrome?”

Tobi’s following groan made you laugh even harder, until your stomach was aching and your cheeks hurt from all the mischievous joy you got out of teasing him relentlessly.

~ X ~

Tobi had a bad day. You could hear it in the way he greeted you when you picked up the work phone a week after watching the trashiest movie of all times. You heard it in the way Tobi pressed the words together, like he had to keep himself from spitting them out and sounding way too harsh.

 _“Hello, Angel.”_ Even his voice sounded too pressed, tight, like he wanted to scream and shout at the world. This Tobi was far off the open, friendly person he usually was. This one only wanted fast, hard relief in any way possible.

“Hey. Everything okay?” Nothing more than a cordial question.

He sighed. _“To be honest, no. The pain… It’s worse than usual. Some days are just like that. It’s… sometimes I don’t know why I’m even doing this.”_

“To get better, I hope.”

_“But nothing is happening. Sometimes I’m good, some days are mediocre, and some days… are like today. Today is bad. Fucking bad.”_

“Can I do something to make you feel better?”

 _“I have several things in mind.”_

Fast, hard relief. Nothing else. No space for softness, teasing remarks and jokes about pop culture references. Not that you didn’t like it, but you couldn’t help but to worry—worry about Tobi when he changed his personality. A mask to protect himself to an extent, to release his anger in controlled outbursts.

Outbursts in the form of…

_“I want to tie you up. Tie you up with your arms above your head and a blindfold over your eyes. I want to fuck into you, not caring one bit about you and your pleasure, your lust, your desires. I want to fuck you, Angel, until you come all over my cock, crying and sobbing for your peak.”_

Oh my. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from reacting in any way which would betray how turned on you were by that scenario. Being blind, only being able to follow Tobi’s dark, rough voice, unable to help yourself or even _move_. Only able to wait; wait for him to touch you.

Tobi wasn’t finished yet. He let out another deep growl, wordless and vibrating deep inside your bones. _“You want it, do you? You want me to fuck you. So desperate for me. My, you’re so needy. How about I leave you hanging for a little bit? Just waiting for me and my touch, my hands, my mouth, my cock.”_

“Gods, Tobi…” The moan bubbled out of your mouth before you even realized your lips even opened. “Please tell me more. Please tell me how you want to fuck me.”

His following growl vibrated in your very being; made a delicious shudder wander down your back in the sheer anticipation of what was about to come. It was so terrifyingly easy to fall into the role, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care much about that. Knowing Tobi better than before also allowed yourself to tumble even deeper, to allow yourself to be swallowed by his fantasies so much that you wished…

_“My hands slide over your hips. You’re so soft, Angel. I love it. I love how you react to me. Love how you moan for me, what you want from me.”_

“Everything,” you answered, as it felt natural. Your hand wandered down, mimicked the description Tobi gave you. A gentle slide of your hands over your hips, starting at the juncture of your legs up to your waist. Nothing more than a little tease of your fingertips over the fabric of your tank top, and it was made so much better by the appreciative hum Tobi let out. “I want it all.”

_“I’m standing behind you. You’re blind to the world, my hands are the only thing giving you a bit of support. You feel me when I press myself into your back. I’m hard. Just for you, Angel.”_

“I really like the sound of that.”

 _“Quiet!”_ His sudden bark made you straighten out of sheer instinct. _“Don’t make me gag you.”_

Okay, that was new. But also so, so hot and the surprise of it all made you nod instead of answer audibly. Thankfully, Tobi took your silence as compliance, growling in satisfaction. _“Good. Good girl. Spread your legs, will you?”_

With a little whimper, you followed his orders. It was so wonderfully easy to follow them. Sheer, blissful obedience to simple orders. Out of a sudden whim, you also closed your eyes. The illusion would be perfect. Especially with Tobi’s rough, darkened voice; so fitting for this meaner, darker side of him. With wanton abandonment, you dug your fingers into the crease between your legs, arching your back and moaning into the speaker.

Tobi hissed. _“You little witch. You want it that much, don’t you? You’re lusting for me.”_

“Yes! So much!”

 _“I demand silence,”_ he growled, _“and yet you disobey me.”_

Quickly, you whimpered as your fingers crooked _just right_. Just right to make you whimper even more. Again, Tobi growled lower and huskier than before; perfectly in sync with your own low breaths. _“Fuck. You’re moaning beneath me. You want it, want me to fuck you senseless. You want to touch me, but I won’t let you. Next time, Angel. Now, I want to sink into you and lose myself.”_

His harsh words were way too breathless to really be threatening. Gods, you thought you could hear his hand moving over his dick, fast slapping noises and the occasional deep growls. An animal, ravaged by his own desire.

Though, you were no better than him. Whimpering and whining in wordless, hushed noises more befitting of a tortured beast than anything else, you rolled your hips into your desperately circling fingers. This. This was it. Enjoying what Tobi made up for you, giving him back the reactions he so desperately craved for. This was what you were living for in your job: the give and take of both parties, the ebb and flow of the tides, the pleasure he gifted to you, and the pleasure you gifted back to him.

Just like real sex.

The lack of your sight made it even better. You could imagine everything in crystal-clear clarity: Tobi looming over you, rough hands sliding over your sides, over your skin, between your legs to play with your clit. His fingertips circled your wet hole, dipping into you, and gliding over the sensitive skin of your inner thighs. His breath ghosted in harsh waves over your neck while his mouth hovered just a few inches away from you. Internally, he was so close to lodging his teeth into the soft juncture right in front of him. You could feel it; feel it in your very bones, which made you tremble from head to toe.

_“Fucking, oh gods, shit! Angel, you drive me crazy here.”_

You merely whimpered, bit your lip and rolled your hips into your palm. No words. He told you to keep quiet, after all.

Tobi’s grunts grew quickly louder, rasping in your ear and echoing in the line. Then, with a harsh wordless shout, he reached his peak. You followed shortly after, still whining, whimpering and finishing with a little ridiculous neigh you would later be embarrassed about.

Later. Much, much later. Now, the warm wave of a fantastic orgasm washed over you. Your bones melted and you sighed out, filled to the brim with raw bliss and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Tobi was faster in recovering from your little tryst. His raspy voice seemed just the tiniest bit strained when he spoke up again, still breathless and still displaying a hint of his darker personality. _“Angel, that was… hmmm, that was insane.”_

“Insanely good, I hope.” Like a lazy cat, you stretched out in the cushions, not caring one bit that your pants and underwear were positively soaked and stuck to your skin.

_“Insanely good, fuck yes. I’m still a bit… damn.”_

“I know what you mean.”

_“Thank you. This… I don’t know what came over me, but thank you.”_

“Just call me again if that particular urge comes again over you. Can’t say I dislike it.”

Tobi’s deep rumbling laugh made you smile too as you stretched your arms and legs out, hanging over the edge of the couch; satisfied to the very core and warmth filling your stomach and chest.

~ X ~

_“Hey there.”_

He sounded different from last time; just lighter and more relaxed. You were happy for him. “Hey. What’s going on?”

_“Aaah, nothing much. Pain is bearable today.”_

“That’s good. Really good.” And you meant it.

_“Yeah. Yeah, feels good too. I’m also rather flexible. Almost touched my toes this morning.”_

“Trying out yoga?”

_“Actually, yes. No need to be that smug about it.”_

“I bet I do a better downward dog than you.”

Tobi snorted out. _“Hah! Challenge accepted! I will train that pose until I beat you!”_

“I see, the missing pain is really making you energetic.”

 _“It’s fantastic. It’s like… a curtain is lifted when there’s no pain. I’m not waiting for it every time I move, not expecting it every time I just raise a hand to scratch my forehead or something. I… just feel… light. Lighter than usual.”_ You could hear him smiling and thus, your own smile widened, but you also heard something else in the background. Electronic beeps forming a melody of some sort, and you cocked your head to the side as you concentrated on the strange sounds.

“Are you playing a game in the background?”

 _“No, no! Absolutely not!”_ You weren’t convinced, but Tobi merely talked over your concerns. _“There are some questions I would like to ask you. Nothing difficult and I think nothing too personal, but nevertheless thrilling.”_

Suspicious. Definitely suspicious. Your eyes narrowed as you stopped in sorting out the laundry, just for a mere second. “Don’t tell me you got them off of a first-date-advice-website or something.”

 _“No…?”_ Tobi said, even though it sounded more like a question.

With a playful groan, you closed your eyes. “Oh gods, you copy-pasted them straight from one of those websites.”

_“I didn’t!”_

“I bet you did. At least my next paycheck.”

Tobi’s sigh amused you endlessly. _“Fucking… fine. But these are not the boring standard questions, I swear!”_

“Sure. Go for it then.”

_“I will ignore your mean comment and just fire away here. Alright, first one! Do you like groan-inducing puns?”_

“Sometimes. Scratch that, I love puns.”

_“Oooookay. Next one: Grab a finger of your hand. Which one did you grab?”_

“The index finger.”

_“Interesting.”_

“Do you use these questions for something?”

_“Nothing in particular.”_

“Not suspicious at all.”

_“Just wait! I’ll tell you when we’re done, okay?”_

“Fine.” You bent over to separate your dirty laundry into different piles while listening to Tobi humming and hawing over his questionable questions.

_“Nice! Alright, alright. So, can you focus on something you like?”_

“Yeah, most of the time.”

_“Do you fall asleep without noticing?”_

“Now, this sounds more like a personality test… but I don’t notice.”

_“Okay, last question I think: There is a person you like, but there is no opportunity to get close. What do you do?”_

“I mean, confessing would be good, wouldn’t it?”

_“The choices are 'confessing,' 'might say hello,' 'pulling a prank' or 'looking from afar'.”_

“Well, then I’m definitely going with 'confessing'.”

_“…”_

His silence was unsettling. You could still hear the sounds and you just had to ask what was going on the other side of the connection. “What?”

Suddenly, Tobi _whined_ into the speaker; a ridiculous sound coming from him and yet so fitting. _“Seriously? I try for hours to become an Eevee and you get it on the first try? This game is rigged, I swear!”_

You gasped and folded your hands over your chest. “Did you seriously use me for the personality test in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon?”

_“And what if I did?”_

“Do not use this tone on me, and how dare you for making me want to play it too!” You pouted. A long slumbering guilty pleasure, and Tobi in all his genius glory reminded you of that guilty pleasure in all its might. “But an Eevee, huh? Not too shabby.”

_“Seriously, I hate that I can’t just choose my pokemon. I mean, the personality test at the start is all fine and dandy, but why make me repeat it over and over for me to get one special pokemon?”_

“You can in the latest one.”

_“That one is for the Switch, isn’t it?”_

“Yeah.”

_“Fuck. The question is, am I an adult enough to get an entire, new gaming console just for the pleasure of selecting my pokemon self?”_

Gods, you couldn’t help it. Tobi’s antics always made you smile, and this time was no different. You bit your lip while the corners of your mouth quirked upwards at listening to his rough voice weighing the pros and cons of buying something expensive against his desires. 

He was surely adorable as fuck like this.

~ X ~

_“I bought the book you talked about.”_

“Really?” You sat up straighter, the cozy blanket in your lap slipping down the tiniest bit together with the game console running an older Pokemon game. “And? What do you think?”

_“It’s good. Really good. I like the main character’s character a lot. She prioritizes her friends over the overall goal and would do everything for her chosen family.”_

“Right? And she’s so headstrong and strong in general! Sure, she got to pick a really OP class from the get-go, but that was more of the professor's fault who put her in the game in the first place.”

_“Eeeh, I wouldn’t necessarily place every bit of blame on her class, though. Lots of her combat experience comes from her background as a soldier and air-force pilot.”_

“Sure, but she’s… Hah, I don’t know how to describe it. It’s difficult to really name it.”

_“Yeah, I know what you mean. But it’s also nice she even acknowledges her insane luck and overall strength several times, and just doesn’t let it slip past her.”_

“It’s also so refreshing to see a character being this straightforward. Like, she’s everything you want in a hero! She’s righteous, chivalrous, doesn’t discriminate against the NPC’s, strong and fast…”

_“And also fresh from the fight?”_

His mischievous grin was shining through the words. It wasn’t your fault you couldn’t help but to laugh. “Aah, yes! Of course! Nothing but fresh from the fight.”

Talking with Tobi about books was surprisingly easy. Even more than that, you completely forgot the time while you ranted about the book you loved so much; about the motivation of the heroine, the different love interests being built up and yet discarded at the same time out of wildly varying reasons, the fights and tactics used in their battles, the little mysteries and bread crumbs strewn all over the story line, and so on. So much went on, and Tobi only fueled your enthusiasm with his arguments that he tended to press between your excited rambling. Only when the orange sunlight of the evening creeped over the ground and tickled your toes peeking out from under the blanket, you noticed the late hour.

“Oh, fuck.” With a gasp, you checked the display. It was now a whopping three hours since you've been on the line with Tobi. Three hours. A new personal record. “Shit. Sorry, I rambled on way too long.”

_“Wait, really?”_

“Yeah. Over three hours now.”

Stunned silence. Then… _“Well, fuck my monthly paycheck, I guess.”_

“I’m so sorry. It wasn’t my intention to keep you this long in line.”

_“Don’t worry. Not your fault. I like hearing your voice.”_

Such a simple compliment. You heard way filthier things over the years, from slightly cringy to downright disgusting, but this… Tobi complimenting and simply acknowledging that he liked to listen to your voice made you blush and giggle like a schoolgirl in love with an upperclassman. Again, such an unusual compliment uttered in his very own tone and intonation did everything to you.

One hand automatically flew up to curl a single strand of your hair around your index finger while you bit your lip to keep yourself from giggling. “Well… yeah. Thank you, Tobi. I also like your voice. A lot.”

_“Uhm… thanks.”_

“Did you blush?”

_“Why?”_

“I think I can hear it by now and I just want my hunch confirmed.”

_“… Fine. Yes, I blushed. Satisfied?”_

“Yes. Yes, I am. Deeply satisfied.”

_“Don’t say it like that.”_

“Like what?”

_“Like that! You know what I mean!”_

“I have no idea.”

_“Again! You’re doing it again!”_

Of course, you were doing it deliberately. Of course, you had an idea of what you were doing. But for you, it was nothing more than teasing him; an activity you held in high regards when it came to Tobi. His outraged yet definitely-interested tone made it clear that he would be up for a round, but you didn’t feel like taking more money from him.

“Sorry,” you said, “I just can’t help it. You’re just so adorable when I tease you.”

_“I’m adorable!?”_

“Adorable. Cute. A little cutie-pie.”

_“You’re hurting my manly ego here.”_

“I’m sure you will survive until next time.”

_“So… you want to end the call now?”_

“I mean, I don’t necessarily _want_ to end it. It would just be nice of me, don’t you think? Considering the rates of the hotline.”

 _“Yeah…”_ The following deep sigh vibrated in your very soul. _“Yeah. Okay. I get it. I’m just… I better go now.”_

He wanted to say something. Just _something_ laying on the very tip of his tongue. Something weighing on his mind, you could feel it. However, he didn’t say it, just sighed once more and said his goodbye.

When the call was cut, you stared into the air for a moment. Suddenly, the apartment seemed a bit emptier. You tucked the blanket closer as you sat on your couch, trying to find out what was going on and if you wanted to stop it.

No. No, you didn’t want to stop this. Whatever it was.

~ X ~

Surely, your hesitant _friendship_ (or whatever it was what you had built with Tobi over the weeks of continued phone calls) was one of the stranger things you had in your life. But talking with him calmed you. To the very core. When you would wake up on the days Tobi usually called, you were in a brighter mood than other days. Like on coals, you were waiting for him. When Tobi finally called like clockwork, it would usually take up most of your shift. The three-hour mark was breached several times. So many times in fact that your boss Mei Terumi messaged you to congratulate you for binding a customer so thoroughly and permanently to you and thus, to the hotline. The accompanied bonus also wasn’t too bad, but still.

You felt bad for it. Being reminded of the customer-service relationship didn’t fit the image you had now of the relationship between Tobi and yourself. You liked to think he saw you as a friend at least, and you…

Also liked to think of him (unfortunately) not only as a friend, and it started to show—

With a startled gasp, you woke up. Woke up in your dark room, blankets thrown off your body and sweating. Sweating profusely due to the weird-ass dream you just had.

Weird pictures. Weird images. Weird, really, _really_ weird impressions: Hands which _definitely_ belonged to a man stroking over your skin… hips, waist, breasts. The hands danced over your collarbones, only to cup your face with the tenderness of a true lover. His lips inched over every part of you they could reach. Your neck was their favorite spot to latch on to; teeth graced your skin there over and over, sharp edges making you beg and writhe while being tied up with your hands above your head. No way to escape.

Though, you also didn’t want to escape.

A voice. A voice had echoed in your ears. Insistent and egging you on, complimenting you and calling you…

_You’re so beautiful Angel._

_Yes, just like that. Beg for me._

_Beg for me to fuck you. Fuck you and afterwards, we can make love._

A shudder wandered down your back. Pleasant and tingling in your fingers and toes, warming your chest and stomach, wandering down into your lower stomach and making you wet.

Screw that, you _were_ already wet. The dream definitely made you wet enough to drown someone. Your fingers were shaky as you reached over to your nightstand, turning on the soft light of the small night light, only to reach for the bottled water right beside the lamp. In quick, hasty gulps, you drank, still half asleep, yet your body was wide awake. Wide awake with the lust burning in your veins.

Gods, did you really dream of Tobi? Dreamt of him fucking you? In a similar fashion as he had set up in the “business” call you two last had?

This was bad. Oh no, this was _so_ , so bad. Having the hots for a customer? That was a reason to quit or get fired if you let that escalate.

_If. If I let it escalate._

You couldn’t. You literally couldn’t allow it to escalate. The best course of action would be to talk to Mei and tell her to stop Tobi from reaching you ever again. It would put some healthy distance between you and him. You allowed him to be too close to you. You felt for and with him, became his… _friend_ , for the lack of a better word. Talking about your hobbies, about your favorite things like colors, music, tv-shows, movies, talking about your day and anything which came to mind, all of that was normal by now. Sure, some talks drifted into deeper waters, and some of these rare talks still ended with both of you panting into the line; your fingers buried inside you and his probably wrapped around his cock. Though, these talks were nowadays a rarity.

Over time, everything… _shifted_. Shifted to the point that you didn’t want to stop your phone calls even though you probably should. The feeling was already there last time, and the time before that one and the one before… Somehow, sometime along the way, you developed… some feelings for him. If a little obsession or something actually meaningful, that could only time tell.

You stared blankly into the air, the water bottle clutched between your hands. Your bedsheets were drenched in the sweat of your wet dream and your panties stuck to you like a second skin in their state. With another heavy sigh, resigning yourself to your fate, you pushed back the blankets and trudged to your nearby bathroom.

A cold shower was in order.

~ X ~

Another day, another shitty customer. This time it was an older lady with way too much time and money on her hands, as she immediately started preaching to you about the impurity of your service and how dare you for providing such sinful acts to lonely, easily led astray men. Of course, you interrupted her as soon as you could and told her that preaching to you wouldn’t do anything and that you nevertheless thanked her for paying at least part of your paycheck. Then, you had quickly cut the line, but her words nevertheless laid heavy on your mind.

Hearing your work phone ring again, you sighed and accepted the call while bending over your bed again and stripped the sheets off of the mattress. “Hello, there. What can I do for you today?”

 _“Oh, no.”_ Instantly, some of the initial tension left your shoulders as Tobi’s worried voice filtered into your brain. _“Oh no, Angel. What’s wrong?”_

Quickly, you tried to ease his worries. “Nothing, nothing. Everything is fine.”

_“Don’t lie to me like this. I can hear it. Something is bothering you. Another customer?”_

“Damn, you got me figured out.”

_“And?”_

With a low sigh, you straightened yourself out, placed your hands in the crook of your hips and stared at the blank mattress. The pile of dirty bed sheets had only been hastily shoved aside, your toes still touching the soft fabric from time to time. “It’s just… just another fanatical purity-idiot who gave me money to spout their bullshit at me. It's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing where they get to me, but… when they do, I hate it.”

_“Why? Why do they manage to annoy you that much?”_

“I really don’t know. I don’t fucking know," you growled. Your fingers clawed into the next best bed sheets and covers you could find, but you stopped yourself from actually changing them. For a moment, you breathed in and out, merely recognizing the fact that you just snapped at a customer. Snapped at a friend, snapped at _Tobi_. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I’m just… she really got on my nerves.”

_“No worries, I understand. It can be harsh getting corrected about something which needs no correcting.”_

“Yes! Why does that old hag even have the time to call this hotline? Like, why even give her money to us when she’s just going to be ranting to me about how she personally doesn’t like the hotline and would never use it _while using it_? It just makes no sense!”

Tobi laughed hoarsely. _“It really doesn’t. Don’t mind that old crazy bat too much. To be honest, it sounds like she would need some relaxation to get that stick out of her butt.”_

“Uuurgh, she really would need it. But one of my colleagues has to help that old hag relax. I’m not going to touch her with a ten foot pole.”

_“Exactly. Let the others deal with it. It was already too much to hear her first rant for sure.”_

“Yes. Oh gods, yes.” With a sigh, you buried your face in your hands; just for a moment though. A small second of merciful darkness, then you breathed in. Breathed in, in, in and out; allowing yourself a few more moments of darkness while listening to the weak breaths echoing in your ears.

 _“You good?”_ It finally came out of the headphones.

“Yeah,” you mumbled, “I… just need a moment. A few moments.”

_“Take as many moments as you like. I’m not running away.”_

Oh, yes. A few more moments to just _be_. That sounded wonderful. Closing your eyes, you crawled onto the unmade, bare bed and stretched out your limbs like a starfish. Nothing but space all around you. Another long, drawn-out sigh left your mouth, lingered in the air and filled the room with all the moodiness and doubts which always spooked around in the back of your mind.

After a few minutes of empty staring up to the ceiling, you spoke up again—slowly; not trusting your tongue to really form the right words. You went on, and on and on and on when the dam broke, and the initial hesitation wore off. “Sometimes… Sometimes I’m just asking myself why I’m still doing this. Sure, I always have the benefits in mind. Flexible work hours, good pay, I can work from home, but sometimes… It’s just… I don’t know when was the last time I spoke to someone _new_. Trying to get to know them, making new friends, just meeting new people on a regular basis, face-to-face. I have to be, act and sound sexy as soon as the phone rings and sometimes it’s just hard. Hard to act as the femme fatale, innocent virgin or prude maiden all the time. I just want to be _me_ at some point and I don’t have the feeling I was _me_ in a… in a very long time.”

 _“So, you aren’t you right now?”_ Tobi sounded like he was genuinely puzzled, not hurt or irritated by your statement.

Nevertheless, you sat up, already trying to control the damage before more could break. “No! I mean, yes, I am me. This is the most me in forever. To be honest, the calls with you are always a highlight of my week as I know I don’t have to act all the time.”

There. You said it. You actually spilled your little, tiny secret. A small guilty pleasure you loved to indulge, and now you laid there, face reddening fast and sweat clinging to your palms, your headset barely clinging to your ears and noticing for the first time…

That for the first time in months, you spoke directly from your heart. The undeniable truest truth you could muster. And you threw it at a near stranger, no less! Sure, you shared a lot of intimate details with Tobi, but this…

This was so far out of the field of your job description you could resign on the spot. Screw talks about books, games and movies. Screw all the little silly signs of a blooming friendship over the phone.

You were in the first throes of panic, but Tobi’s hoarse chuckle ringing through the line interrupted you. _“I’m glad, then. You also deserve some time where you can relax and be yourself. Glad I can offer you a bit of that.”_

His voice and reassurance instantly calmed you down. “It’s really nice for a change, to be honest. Thank you.”

Honestly, it was quite ridiculous. His mere _voice_ was able to calm you down—not even the words he spoke, but his _voice_. Gods, you were in deep. And still, a smile flashed over your face as he answered, as calm and happy as always.

_“Absolutely no problem. It’s my pleasure.”_

“Quite literally.”

 _“Sometimes. But… gods… Hear me out here.”_ Tobi swallowed dryly. _“I’m… I really like to call you. It’s not only because of the… the stuff we do sometimes. It’s also just nice to… to talk. Just talk about stuff. You’re not expecting anything from me, you’re not worried about me all the time. You treat me still like… you know, a human being. I can take it. I can take talking about my dead wife, I can talk about my injuries. Sure, I’m angry sometimes, but that shouldn’t stop me from talking about it. I believe?”_

“No.” You nodded weakly, your hair ruffling over the mattress cover. “Sounds right to me.”

_“All my friends who know me and know Rin treat me like I’m made of glass. I fucking can’t stand it. Yes, I miss her every day. I miss her so much it hurts. But I still want to talk about her. And it would be great if I could mention her without anyone making shifty eyes or being uncomfortable as fuck.”_

“You know you can talk to me as well, right?”

_“Yeah, yeah. I just… I didn’t think we were that close.”_

“Yeah…” A dry laugh wrung itself from your lips. So sudden and strange to hear it echo between the walls of your empty bedroom. All hard and chopped, sadder and more frustrated than you felt at the moment. “Kinda weird to talk about that with me.”

_“That’s not what I meant.”_

“Okay.”

_“No, really! That’s not—! Aah, fuck.”_

“I think I get it. It’s fine.”

_“No, no. It’s not. It’s not fine. Listen, I just wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable with me rambling about Rin. But I don’t know, I feel that it would be great to talk with someone about it. Someone who doesn’t know her.”_

Even though your chest seemed to tighten, you smiled, knowing the smile would transfer into your words. “I would like to hear about her. She sounds like an awesome person.”

 _“Okay. Okay.”_ There was a tremor in his voice. Barely noticeable, just a hint of the emotions lying underneath. Just enough to make that special warmth bloom once more in your chest. The warmth which spread into your arms and legs, toes and fingers. The same warmth which tingled so wonderfully in your entire body, which made you feel all giddy and excited whenever you heard the work phone ring at the set time Tobi would always call. That warmth which was dangerous, beautiful, and most of all forbidden.

You knew what words you could use to call that warmth. You knew _what_ it was. You knew from the very first moment what exactly was happening and how hopeless it was. How utterly ridiculous it sounded, how much of a cliché you were by falling into that trap, how absolutely fucked you were if you didn’t end it in time.

However, you didn’t end it. You just kept on waiting for Tobi to call, waiting and hoping with the hurt just sitting right around the corner. And now you were here, saying yes to everything Tobi wanted, surrendering to the pain without any defenses for what was about to come.

Listening to Tobi’s praises about his dead wife, hearing how much he still loved her, would definitely hurt. Considering you were just the tiniest bit in love with him, no less.

Nevertheless, you could at least hide behind your professionalism. So, you sat up, ruffled through your hair and fixed the headset, before cocking your head to the side and smiling to yourself, while tears stung in your eyes and clung to your lashes. “So… you said once she also volunteered? At an animal shelter, wasn’t it?”

Tobi latched onto the chance to gush about Rin, and you continued to sit on your unmade bed, nodding and listening and smiling, even when no one was there to convince that you were indeed alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, props and kudos and all the love to my most amazing friend and beta-reader: Chisie. Just for you, I always add 'antic' in my chapters... only to switch it up with 'attic' again ;D


	5. Fifth Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You made a decision, to cut Tobi out of your life as clean as possible. Though, the last call goes not the way you expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to another chapter! This one will probably hurt? Maybe? Possibly?
> 
> Yeah, it will. I'm sorry T^T9 At least a little bit, I believe.  
> Sorry in advance!
> 
> ~ X ~
> 
> To the people who might be wondering: yes, I just noticed that in the first paragraph I wrote "Obito" instead of "Tobi". That was a mistake on my part and I fixed it. The MC doesn't know Tobi's real name yet ^^'' Oh man. Sorry for the confusion!

You know gently letting Tobi down would be the only option you had. It was the only option to get out of this weird relationship without hurting him too much, and without killing your own heart in the process. It was the only option. 

That didn’t make it easier though. Before the usual day and usual time Tobi would call, you had already gone over a little speech on how you couldn’t continue talking to him three times. No reason needed, no strings attached, no more worries on how and why or what; just no more worries about this. Returning to your normal schedule without the damned feelings interfering with your life—it was for the best.

Then why, why, why did you find yourself questioning your resolve over and over again the closer Tobi’s call came?

You couldn’t do anything else the entire day. Your stomach was in a tight knot, your chest felt like you were underwater, and your heart felt like it would burst out of your mouth any second. The anxiety got to you in a way you never would’ve anticipated.

When the phone rang right on the dot, you breathed in for a second. You took the moment to hopefully calm yourself down once more; even if it was pretty useless. One last breath, then you picked up the call.

“Hello there,” you purred into the speakers, only the tiniest bit less smooth than usual, “what can I do for you today?”

_“Your lovely voice is already enough for me, Angel.”_

“Ah, Tobi. Hey. How are you?”

His laugh rumbled once more in the line, enough to already make you feel melancholic. _“Everything is fine. However, you don’t sound alright. Is everything okay? Did something happen?”_

“How do you... ?”

_“I know you by now. It has been some time already since we got to know each other.”_

Maybe, that was true. It didn’t help you though in this very moment to hear that as it gave you the tiniest bit of damned hope which you absolutely didn’t need right now. You knew Tobi by now and by default, Tobi knew you to the same extent. It was a little bit scary to think about it that way, but it was also exciting; exciting to think he knew you, over nothing but the regular phone calls you two had over the last… well, at least five or six months now. 

A strange thought creeped into your mind, slowly spreading poison. Somehow, Tobi seemed like he was flirting. Was he? It was difficult to say, but it definitely seemed like it. Was he flirting with you, now of all days? 

If that was the truth, then life proved itself to be unfair once and for all. 

It meant nothing— _nothing—_ as Tobi was clearly still in love with his dead wife Rin. You were just a cheap replacement for some closeness, intimacy and support he didn’t have any access to anymore. Everything he possibly felt for you was fake; built by the sexual desires you fulfilled for him and the forbidden casual conversations you had with him. There was a reason these rules existed and they were mostly to prevent these kinds of things exactly: For the protection of customers and callers alike.

If your boss ever found out, then you could hand in your resignation in the same breath. 

“Yeah,” you finally answered, “there’s something on my mind, but… it has nothing to do with you. I would like to keep it to myself for now.”

 _“Oh.”_ Tobi paused for a second. _“Well, alright. That’s fair. But whatever it is, you can tell me if you want to.”_

“Yeah, sure.” Never. Definitely not. “But you didn’t call me just for small talk, did you?”

Too forceful, way too hasty. You were rushing to the finish line when Tobi didn’t even set up yet. He wanted— _needed_ —the chit chat to feel safe and secure, to get in the mood and really let himself go for once. 

But he didn’t question it, thankfully. Instead, Tobi laughed down the line; the same hoarse laugh which sent shivers down your spine and made you tingle in all the right places. _“That’s good. But promise me.”_

“I promise.”

_“Alright. Well… my rehabilitation training went really well. Managed to do some easy Yoga positions and I could touch my toes. Didn’t manage to do that since… the accident.”_

“Really? That’s really good!” Real excitement spread through your chest, and that was the problem. It shouldn’t concern you if a customer made good progress with their physical rehabilitation therapy. It shouldn’t make you happy to hear about said progress. Hell, in the best case, you shouldn’t even know that much detail about your customer. You should only know just what he liked to listen to to get off. And still. Still, you were excited for Tobi. “I’m happy for you. After all the struggles!”

_“Indeed, indeed. So… anything new for you?”_

“No, just some usual stuff. Doing the laundry, updating the CV which will never be used, cooking lunch.”

_“What are you doing now?”_

“Sitting on my couch. The movie you like so much is playing.”

 _“Which one?”_

“The Panther-Hero one? And I have to say, it looks stunning.” It really did. “And I like how the villain actually wins the moral battle. Usually the hero is always right, but this time… And it helps the villain look good.”

Unfortunately, you were lying. Yes, you had watched the movie, but it wasn’t playing right now. The flat was silent, eerily so as you crossed your legs at the ankles and leaned back, closing your eyes and trying to feel better about the decision and feelings you carried inside your chest.

Tobi was already fawning over the movie, the same speech you already heard when he had tried to convince you to watch it. You allowed him to carry on, his voice washing over you like the ocean washed over the shore. For the last time, you reminded yourself. For the very last time, just one last call. 

One last time you would make him cum, and then you had to leave him behind.

“You’re asking about the movie,” you slid a hand down your stomach, feeling the softness of your skin and arching into the touch, “but not asking what I’m wearing? You’re tame today.”

Nothing but silence. You waited for a few seconds, but only a dry swallow and the slide of a tongue over lips could be heard. Time to amp it up a bit. With an exasperated sigh, you stretched out and opened your legs, your hand resting comfortably on your already warm cunt. “For once, I would like to hear something sweet from you, Tobi. That would be really nice, you know?”

_“Something sweet? From me?”_

“Yeah, indeed.” You had to grin at his little stutter. “Something really sweet and hot. Because I need to hear that today.”

_“Angel, you are…”_

“Yes?”

 _“You are perfect. You sound perfect, just like that.”_ Like always, Tobi seemed painfully honest. You believed him whole-heartedly and moaned just for him when your fingertips dug into your clothed cunt. _“I wish I could touch you. Touch and taste you, feel how you’re trembling in my hands…”_

“Oh gods, Tobi… Yes, just like that…”

_“Everything for you, Angel. Let me hear you.”_

“Tobi, please…” 

His grunts were sheer music to your ears. A symphony of his voice in his most debauched state. Nothing but the desire for you. The opening of a zipper, a sharp inhale, then a low moan. He was stroking himself slowly to full hardness; you could picture it crystal-clear. His hand sliding over a half-hard cock. Slightly slippery with oil or lube. Another hand reaching down, fondling his balls, gently caressing his inner thighs. 

The images were too much. Another desperate moan and you arched into your own hand. You dug them in deep, the pain of the pressure too little to satisfy you in any way. 

“Tobi, _please,_ ” you begged him as you moved your hips, “I need you. I need your voice to get off. Please talk to me. Tell me what you’re doing.”

 _“I…”_ A hasty inhale. _“I’m trying not to come too fast here. You have that kind of effect on me. Just give me… A second. Or two. You’re going too fast for me, love.”_

“Sorry.” You bit your lip. Yes, just like that. Tobi reacting to your voice was the best. You wanted to hear him, wanted to hear him unravel and fall apart that desperately you couldn’t stop it. A serious addiction, that was what it was. 

You used the pause to stand up, ignore the ache between your legs and hastily walk into your bedroom. Hell, if this was the last time, why not make it a little bit special?

Inside your bedroom, you stripped out of your clothing. The cool air was icy on your heated skin, so strong that goosebumps pebbled their way down your arms and back. Still listening to Tobi’s ragged breathing, you climbed onto your bed, only the headset still tightly attached to your ears. 

“You still with me?” you asked, just in case. 

_“Yeah.”_ Tobi laughed once more. Shakily, but he did. _“Just barely.”_

“Barely is just enough for me,” you answered, all the while opening the drawer of your nightstand. There, a trusty old friend you didn’t use in a long time. Big enough to make you excited, colored in a bright playful neon-pink, with three settings where the third one would make you see stars. Combined with Tobi’s voice, you hoped to indeed see stars. 

“Better now?” you asked, innocently and way too cheerful to be taken seriously. 

Tobi must’ve smelled that you were up to something as well. His hesitant _“Yeah…”_ was proof for that. 

“Good,” you purred. A little bit of shuffling, and you were spread out in your bed, the vibrator pressed against your clit. “Because I’m certainly ready to go further. I’m in my bed…”

_“Yeah…?”_

“And I’m naked…”

_“Oh gods... “_

“And I have a vibrator with me. It’s not on yet, but right now I’m satisfied with just the pressure against my clit.” You waited for Tobi’s reaction. His groan and silent curse was just as glorious as you thought it would be. Repressed, a bit angry, really desperate, edging at the brink yet again. Everything you ever wanted to hear from him. 

_“Fuck, Angel…”_ Finally, he spoke out. His voice betrayed everything about him you needed to know. But there was a certain edge to it, a hint of his other side which came out on bad days. Controlled and laying low, but it was there, and the mere existence of that darker side of him made you moan under your breath before you could stop yourself. _“You have no idea what you’re doing to me when you tell me that. Or do you?”_

“I have the inkling of an idea, yeah.”

_“You little witch.”_

You hummed as you teased yourself with the very tip of the vibrator. Just a slow grinding against the smooth, soft surface. “I take that as a compliment.”

 _“You should. You definitely should.”_ Tobi quietly groaned, then you heard the distinct sound of a cap getting popped open. _“You already got me closer to the edge than you should have, Angel. Your voice alone makes me rock hard. And the images…”_

“Yes?”

 _“They make everything so much better. How much I wished I could see you like this…”_ A sharp intake of air, then a low groan. _“Fuck… just eating you out, finger you. Fuck you slowly until you sigh my name into my ear.”_

“Please, Tobi… Just like this.”

You wanted to beg him to tell you more. Beg Tobi to tell you how exactly he would fuck you. The vibrator was now wet enough, coated by your own wetness. Ever so gently, you brought the very tip to your spread-open cunt. One hand reached up to caress your own breast, teasing the perked-up nipple with slow perseverance. For a few moments, you pretended that your own hand felt like Tobi’s: big, a bit rough, with calluses at the fingertips and ring finger, where he held a pencil for too long. 

It wasn’t enough. It was still your hand touching yourself, not the person you wanted to touch you so desperately, even though it was not possible. With a frustrated sigh, you gave up, arching your hips and bucking against the unrelenting pressure of the vibrator.

“Tell me,” you demanded and Tobi inhaled sharply, “tell me when I should put it in. Tell me what to do. Please Tobi. Please tell me.”

_“Not yet. Hold out for me. Press it against your sweet clit for a minute. Is it still off?”_

“Yes,” you whimpered as you followed his instructions, “please…”

_“Ssh, it’s fine. I got you. I got you, kitten.”_

He got you. Safe and sound, held by his arms. Yes, that sounded great. Perfect even. With a low sigh, you sank back into the cushions. A clever twist of the vibrator and the tip nudged in a new angle against your clit which made you whimper. 

Tobi’s voice had a new urgency to it. Urging you to moan for him when he described his thoughts in vivid detail. _“Imagining you like this… Spread out for me, a feast for the eyes. Hearing you moan for me is such a… Fuck, I would like to fuck you. Coax you to make the prettiest sounds. My hands on your hips, pulling you back into my cock. I could also just hold you still, hearing you beg for more. More from me, more motion, more sweet words. Just for you, kitten.”_

A mighty shudder crashed into you. It made you tremble, clenched your toes and arch your back, just from the powerful images he planted in your head. You mewled, but Tobi went on with the same urgency and desperate edge in his voice you felt resonating deep within your soul. _“Rutting into you. Fuck, that actually sounds the best. Slowly rutting into you, seeing how mad you get when I don’t fuck you the way you want. I would stop, just for a bit, enjoy how pissed you would get at me and hear you curse, only to make you whimper when I would start again. I would hold your hands over your head and make love to you, over and over until you beg me to stop. Turn it on, kitten. Turn it on and fuck yourself.”_

You didn’t need to be told twice. The following moan was the loudest you let out that far, as the vibrations finally reached your inner parts where you needed them. To be filled, physically and with Tobi’s voice in your ears, that was everything you needed right now. 

In lazy strokes, you pushed and pulled the vibrator in and out. A slow, casual rhythm, just like you imagined Tobi rutting into you, just like he said he would. For leverage, you placed your feet onto the mattress, knees bent and spread open. The wet sounds seemed to echo inside the room, so loud Tobi cursed under his breath.

_“Yes, just like that. Would hold you down, look into your eyes, see how much you want me. Tell me how much you want me, Angel. Tell me.”_

“I want all of you,” you gasped as the vibrations reached a spot inside of you which made you see stars, “everything I can get from you.”

It was the truth; the unhidden, unashamed truth. Everything you could get from Tobi, you would take without complaint. 

_“Oh, kitten,”_ he groaned, and now you could hear the faint fapping, squelching noises from his side of the connection, _“that’s… so much more than I could hope for. Turn it up a notch. Treat yourself.”_

With another embarrassing whimper, you followed his order. Instantly, the increase of vibrations made you sob out in sheer relief of finally getting what you needed. “Tobi! Fuck me, Tobi! Please, I beg you!”

This call would be the last. Another reason to let go of usual restraints, to enjoy yourself to the fullest. There would always be a special place in your heart for him, and maybe, just maybe you would think of him sometimes when you would finger yourself while another customer would grunt into your ear.

There was something special about Tobi though, a special kind of connection you shared and felt. It was like night and day, and in this very moment, it was as clear as the sun to you why. 

You loved him. Somehow, You fell in love with him. Not a silly little crush, not a stupid infuation. No, something deeper and that was truly dangerous. 

The revelation would’ve thrown you off, but Tobi was moaning into your ear, low and throaty, and that banished every other disturbing thought into the back of your head. _“Angel, you’re doing everything to kill me here, do you? All those pretty little sounds you’re making… Shit, I’m so close already again. Do it. Make yourself cum to the sound of my voice.”_

You were both desperate for the end. For the glorious, desire-fueled peak. A last desperate buck of your hips, then the hand holding the vibrator inside of you slipped down to crank up the intensity one last time. 

The surge did it for you. With a little cry, you came, clenching around the vibrator and whining Tobi’s name in the highest notes. Sparkles flew, darkness and white exploded in front of your eyes. Heat flooded through your body; molten heat making you all dozy and fuzzy in your head. You sighed, filled to the brim and relaxed, almost boneless now that all the tension of the last days was gone with one single, fantastic orgasm. On the other side, in your post-peak haze, you listened to Tobi grunting your name over and over.

 _“You’re so… Beautiful, I can’t—! Kitten, I love you so much, fuck. Just a little—!”_ His deep groan told you what happened. More warmth flooded through your chest and you reached up to rub your right collarbone. Another place Tobi would like to touch, you remembered faintly. 

_Wait._

_Hold up._

_Kitten?_

Another name. One you didn’t recognize. Kitten? Another operator you didn’t know? Or…

Ice water seemed to wash over you as realization crashed into you. Tobi would never tell you that he was in love with you. Not in the heat of the moment, not even then. Only one person came to mind Tobi could possibly mean with his nickname. The mere train of thought made the last bits of the warm wave of orgasmic happiness vanish and replaced it with the clear realization. 

The realization Tobi just confessed his love for his dead wife while you two had phone sex. 

_That makes everything so much easier._

_It hurts. Hurts to not even have that single moment of pretending it could be different._

_A little bit of hope. Just a hint, but I can’t even have that._

Tobi just now got off to pretending you were his dead wife. It had to be that way, there was no other explanation. The cozy feeling which usually followed the orgasm was missing, just the hollow disappointment of not being… being _enough_ for Tobi. After all the phone calls, after all that time, after all these intimate details you two shared. You had hoped… just the tiniest bit—!

You sat up. Still naked, the vibrator still weakly buzzing away, the mess between your thighs now cold and disgusting instead of arousing. A loss instead of a little win, hurting and aching and tearing through your heart; your silly, dumb, little-girl-heart who believed there was a fairytale waiting for her. 

Nothing was waiting for you but disappointment. There would be no prince coming for you on a white horse, with a sword by his side and ready to woo you. There would be no happy ending, as this was real life. A real life where the man you accidentally, unknowingly fell in love with was still in love with his dead wife. A dead wife who sounded like a dream come true. How could you possibly compete with that? 

A sex phone operator competing with a nurse, who had volunteered in an animal shelter in her free time. Barely, you were able to keep yourself from snorting. What competition? Your life was seriously nothing but laughable at this point.

“I can’t do this any longer.”

The words rung in the air. For a moment, you couldn’t identify who said them, but after a few more moments, you realized that you spoke up. Spoke your thoughts right into Tobi’s ear.

_“What?”_

“I-I—!” Your mouth opened and closed. What would you say? The speech you prepared was forgotten as you tried to find just one word which would maybe lessen the blow you inevitably were about to deliver to Tobi. “I can’t do this any longer.”

_“What do you mean?”_

“Everything. All of this. This job, constantly telling myself I’m alright with never going out of the house, never telling anyone as what I work as. I’m not even alright with what happened between us here, to be honest.”

_“Angel, what—?”_

“Don’t call me that. Please, I beg you.” A headache was forming between your eyebrows. With a tired sigh, you swung your legs out of the bed, ignoring the queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach. “Don’t call me that. Don’t call me anything. Don’t try to reach me over this number anymore either. I’m quitting this job. I don’t want to do this any longer.”

_“Why? Seriously, I don’t even know what’s going on right now. Was it something I did?”_ Tobi was honestly confused. You could hear it in his voice. _“Whatever it was, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I got too close. You don’t have to quit your job because of me.”_

But what would you tell him? You didn’t know what was going on either. You were just as confused and lost and overwhelmed with everything. 

“It’s not your fault,” you started slowly, “it’s just… unfortunate how everything came together. I guess.”

_“What? What came together? What happened that you’re quitting and making me feel like I’m still at fault?”_

“You don’t want to know.”

_“Oh, I think I would love to know, actually.”_

“You really don’t.”

 _“I can decide for myself what I can and should handle, thanks.”_ His voice had a sarcastic tinge. Tobi was clearly pissed. Pissed because you couldn’t articulate what the fuck was going on. Of course. Everyone would be pissed at that, at knowing something was up and the person who knew exactly what was going on refused to talk. You sighed heavily. Nothing you would or could say would calm him down. Everything…

Everything except the truth. 

“Listen, Tobi…”

_“I am.”_

More angriness, more frustration in his voice. Of course. _Of course._

“Tobi, this is… It’s me. The problem is me, okay? I… I won’t say more than that.”

_“Why not?”_

“Because—!”

_“Of what?”_

“...I shouldn’t talk about this. I really shouldn’t.”

_“Why!?”_

“It would destroy everything, it wasn’t—! I didn’t—! I didn’t plan this, okay?”

_“What? What can’t you tell me?”_

“That I love you and that it shouldn’t have happened in the first place!”

Silence. What was he supposed to say to that anyway? There was nothing to say to that weird confession, nothing but the inevitable rejection which would come as soon as Tobi found his tongue again.

“It’s fine,” you said as tears burned in your eyes, “I didn’t expect anything to come out of that. I know you don’t love me and that you’re still in love with Rin. It’s okay. I know that. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you, because it makes things weird and strange and you really don’t need that at the moment.”

_“Wha—!”_

“It’s okay.” Your hand rose to wipe over your burning eyes, but you smiled. Smiled despite the pain, smiled despite the spark of hope in your chest getting crushed, smiled despite the ache in your chest. “Everything is alright. Was my own stupidity there. But my feelings aren’t the only reason. This is for me. Quitting my job is for me and me alone.”

_“Love, this isn’t—!”_

“Don’t call me that, either. This is not me. I’m not an angel, not a kitten and not your love. We both know that. We both know this isn’t what you want to call _me_. And that’s fine as well. But I would just get hurt in this, and I don’t want to get hurt by anyone. Sorry… and goodbye.”

Quickly, you ended the call. You couldn’t bear to listen to his voice anymore, to hear the rejection which was about to come. Better be safe than sorry and end the call now before Tobi could say anything that would get through your mental defenses and make you cry even harder than you already were. 

Crying naked on your bed, the headset still tightly secured and slinging your arms around your middle, you allowed yourself to grieve. Grieve for the small hope you had carried within and which died today. 

Later. Later you could call Mei and hand in your resignation. Now… The little moment to yourself wouldn’t hurt anyone else, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proofread and beta'ed by the amazing Chisie! My rock, my savior, my guardian angel of grammar and plotholes T^T


	6. Sixth Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quitting isn't as easy as you would like, with your boss being a hopeless romantic and questioning your every decision. Meanwhile, Obito questions his own sanity, feelings and - like usual - his very existence in his own body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Saturday, another chapter ;D This one is a bit shorter and has no further meaning than to fill in some cracks, but the next chapter will be a bit more interesting, I would say.
> 
> Hopefully, the included Obito POV gives some more explanation to everything as well as give some hints what's going to happen in the next chapters. ^^ To all of you, a nice Saturday and a good weekend! :D

Calling Mei right after ending the call to Tobi was just the right thing. Of course, you dressed yourself into some light clothes beforehand, otherwise it would’ve been just too strange on your end of the conversation. 

Even though your resolve was made, it didn’t stop you from gnawing at your bottom lip. While you sat on the very edge of your bed with the unmade bed sheets in your back, your knee was bouncing up and down as you waited for your boss to pick up. 

Finally, she picked up. Mei’s usual throaty and low tone echoed in your ears, as sensual as silk and promising unseen lands for men and women alike. _“Mei speaking. What can I do for you today?”_

“Hey, Mei. It’s (Y/N). I need to talk with you for a second.”

Instantly, her voice changed from the sultry siren to overly worried mother-hen. _“Wait, aren’t you on shift right now? Did something happen?”_ Paper shuffled in the background as your old-fashioned boss probably searched for the printed-out shift plans. _“Yeah, you’re on shift. Another pedophile? Do I need to report someone?”_

“No, no. Gods, no. It’s… I want to hand in my resignation.”

Silence. Without a doubt, Mei was surprised, maybe even gaping like a fish. You had no idea, as the only time you ever saw her was the Skype call a few years ago when you applied for the job, and even that was merely an accident. The only thing you remembered vividly was the mass of bright auburn-red hair and crystal-green eyes, before the camera had been disconnected and only her voice remained. 

_“Your… resignation?”_

“Yeah.”

_“But… but why?”_

“Personal reasons.”

_“You’re one of my best workers, you do realise that?”_

“Yes. I do.”

_“And yet, you want to quit on me?”_

“I’m not quitting on you, I’m quitting because…” A deep sigh wrung itself from your lips. “I… I broke rule number one, okay?”

More silence. Though this time, you could almost feel the tension rising between you and her. The questions, the doubts, and the sudden revelation of yours to have broken the one rule you all were committed to. 

_“You…”_ Mei swallowed thickly. _“You fell in love with a customer?”_

“Yes.”

_“Do they know?”_

“I kind of… threw it at his head before cutting the connection.”

_“Why?”_

“It kinda just happened. I wasn’t planning on ever telling it.”

_“Did he answer?”_

Her strange questions were nerve-wrecking. “Why are you asking all these fucked-up questions? Shouldn’t you just accept my resignation and move on? Find another voice who can make the customers see stars?”

_“But this is romantic!”_

You paused. What? Mei Terumi, the founder of one of the biggest sex hotlines in the region, cold-blooded business woman and femme fatale, was acting like a schoolgirl who wanted to hear about her best friend’s love life? Your love life? You two weren’t even that close, dammit! 

“No, I…” You paused, breathed in, and swallowed the tears burning in your eyes. “I didn’t allow him to. I know the answer already.”

_“But how can you be sure?”_

“I just am.”

_“So, you didn’t even allow him to say anything to that?”_

“No.”

 _“Why?”_ Mei was whining into your ear, edging very close to the point where you felt like just hanging up on her. _“You don’t know that for sure! Everything you have is your own intuition, and the gods know one’s own intuition can trick you. Only last week, there was a man who I surely thought wanted to ask me why I wasn’t married yet, even though he was only the delivery man! I could see it in his face! But…”_ Her sigh could’ve up-heaved mountains. _“I talked with my therapist and he says it was just an illusion caused by my insecurities. About… well, my age. The point is, sometimes you can be wrong, even when you think you have all the evidence.”_

“Why are you telling me this?” The last thread of your patience snapped with a click of your tongue. “I don’t care. He's in love with his dead wife, okay? Like usual, we agreed on a nickname beforehand and he changed it up with names I have never heard of before. Probably his wife’s names. I’m really not interested in being the stand-in for a dead person.”

_“But—!”_

“There’s no ‘but’. There’s no happy end. This is life. I won’t meet him ever again nor hear from him. It’s fine the way it is.” You breathed out. “It’s… fine. It’s just fine how it is right now.”

Thankfully, Mei seemed to have gotten your point. Only her heavy sigh betrayed her frustration with your defiance to acknowledge any of her words. “ _Alright. Fine. Handing in your resignation because you broke an unspoken rule of ours. Well, not really a rule, more like a loose guideline.”_

“Mei…”

_“Yes, yes. Your resignation is noted down. Two weeks notice or immediately?”_

“Immediately.”

_“You still have some vacation days left. Want to take them or…?”_

“Pay-out, please.”

 _“Alright.”_ Again, Mei sighed heavily while papers shuffled in the background and long nails clicked against the keys of a keyboard. _“Well then. I’ll send you all the official paperwork in a bit. Want a recommendation letter or anything? Would that be useful?”_

“I don’t know, I don’t think I will apply to another hotline anytime soon.”

 _“No?”_ The typing paused, only to pick up speed immediately after. _“Unlucky. You were… You are talented in that department. Customers only had praises for you.”_

“I don’t want that anymore.”

_“What else do you want, then?”_

What else did you want? You had no idea what you wanted at all. For a few moments, you stared at the wall, trying to make out what you wanted from life. _More_ , you decided after these few moments, _I want… more._

“Thank you, Mei,” you smiled whole-heartedly and sat up straighter, “but… as much as I loved the time with the hotline, I think that I want more than the hotline can give to me. I want to experience the boring office life for once, instead of just bragging that I never experienced it. I want the stupid office talks and gossip. I want to commute for once. I want to live that stupid life I judged before I even knew it. I’m glad for the chance you gave to me and everything, but…”

 _“Alright, alright, I get it.”_ Now, Mei sounded almost bored. More typing, more low sighs. _“Okay, that’s it. With this document that I will send to you after this call, I have recognized your resignation. The last payment and paycheck should come by mail in a week or so. And, (Y/N)...”_

“What?”

_“Think about what I said. That you can’t know for sure about his feelings.”_

Before you could protest any more, Mei ended the call. Again, you sat on your bed and stared at the wall, not knowing what to do or what to say to that.

_I can’t be sure about his feelings._

_Bullshit. I can._

_I can’t._ I can’t. _I_ literally _can’t._

You closed your eyes, breathed in, and shook your head. Mei didn’t know one bit what was going on with Tobi. It was alright. She had no idea what you knew. No clue what was going on with him, inside of him.

_I don’t know that either._

Quickly, you squashed that stupid voice inside your head. It is what it is, and it was fine that way.

~ X ~

He had no idea what happened. One moment, he was floating on the post-orgasm feeling, as fluffy as a cloud, then the nice voice in his ear started to stammer and stutter around. Obito couldn’t quite explain where the entire conversation went wrong, but he sure as hell knew it did go wrong. Terribly so. 

For some time, he merely stared at the phone in his hand: The lifeline to a little bit of escape, out of the pain he lived with day for day and night for night. Angel’s voice made him forget, just for the shortest time. To forget the stiffness of his entire body, to forget the fact he couldn’t bend his one knee completely, to forget he was a crippled, sad, reclusive loner without anyone to love him.

A bitter smile flashed over his face, tugging at the scars and taut skin. 

_She… She has feelings for me?_

_How?_

_Angel, oh my Angel..._

_When? What?_

_Since when?_

_I don’t understand…_

How this happened or when this even happened wasn’t even the most important part. On autopilot, Obito redialed the number from the hotline. Almost instantly, the melodious voice of the handler vibrated through his brain, but there was nothing more than the hollow feeling of missing something. 

_“Welcome by Love Calls, where we make your personal dreams come true. How can I help you today?”_

“I want to speak to Angel. The woman who changes her name constantly.”

_“Angel? Oh, yes. Alright, she’s free right now, I will… Oh.”_

“What?”

_“I have to correct myself. Seems like she isn’t available any longer. Can I direct you to another operator?”_

“No,” Obito choked out, “it’s… it’s fine. Thank you.”

He cut the call before he heard the enthusiastic answer of the handler. Angel had already made true on her promise to resign, with the swiftness of lightning. Striking the iron while it was hot apparently. 

His lungs were filled with all the heavy sighs in the world as Obito leaned back into his chair. It was a soft chair made to ease his pain as much as any mortal fabric could. Everything in his home needed to be changed one way or another, to accommodate his sudden disability and the sudden lack of a person missing in his life. He pushed one sigh out. Just one, then he struggled to get to own two feet.

The pain hit him every time with the force of a wrecking ball. One second, he was sitting almost comfortably—his body apparently normal for once—and the next, he was standing and it was like his entire half was on fire. The transplanted skin seemed to crawl in disgust at the feeling of clothes dragging across it and the severely broken arm barely twisted back into a halfway normal shape twitched with every careful step, and every fucking step hurt like he settled his sole on the sharp edge of a knife.   
It was a bad day and the realization that one of his small reliefs was probably completely gone without a chance to recover made the day for Obito even worse.

_Fuck. Fuck, shit._

_And because… Resigning, throwing her job away… because she fell in love with me?_

He couldn’t believe that. He couldn’t just… No, that was impossible.

_She has never seen me. Never got to know the true extent of my accident._

That would explain everything. Of course, when Angel only knew his voice, there was a chance she could’ve fallen in love with that… Obito snorted. After all, his face and body were nothing worthwhile to look at now. Just a mangled mess of limping body parts and estranged nerve endings he couldn’t quite find again. Fucking hell, even the simple motion of scratching his nose was now harder than ever before. 

Angel only knew his voice and over time, it could be possible that she fell for him. Maybe. Without knowing his destroyed face. The friendly talks the two of you had, the small secrets you shared, the little friendship building over the last months… All of it could lead her to thinking that she was in love with him.

Obito sighed. “Think?” he asked into the terribly empty, dark living room. “She is… She really thinks…”

Of course, the empty room didn’t answer. Nor did anything else in the empty, lonely house. 

With another heavy sigh reaching the surface, Obito slowly limped his way over to the kitchen sink. His hand trembled as he reached for the handle and turned on the stream of water. Blessed, cool water, and he drank like he didn’t drink anything in ages. Most of it landed on his black t-shirt, but there was no one there to reprimand him, so why would he even bother? 

Angel was in love with him. Her words were still spooking through his head, even while he dried his hands off at his already-soaked shirt. Angel claimed to be in love with him and that was the reason she was resigning. 

_So in a sense, it’s my fault._

No. No, that wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t do anything about the feelings of another person. He couldn’t help it when someone decided to fall in love. It wasn’t his fault. A shaky breath in; a shaky breath out. It wasn’t his fault. There had been other reasons playing into her decision, not only her feelings for him.

Nevertheless, Obito felt like shit when he dragged himself back into his armchair. Carefully, he settled down again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he also could still see the aftermath of the call: the box of wet tissues standing on the nearby coffee table, the lotion and the crumpled up tissues he used to clean himself with afterwards.

Afterwards. A bitter laugh rose in his throat. After the most intense session he had so far with Angel—not that every other session paled in comparison, but overall, it had been the best out of all of them. Her sounds, so needy and desperate, whining for him… like she really wanted him there, with her, touching and feeling the heaves in the palm of his mismatched hands…

Obito closed his eyes and allowed his head to drop backwards. Of course, when she was indeed in love with him, then that would explain everything. 

He needed to stop. His brain was still reeling over the confession, trying to make sense of it, when he was just so… so… 

“Unlovable.” His hollow voice echoed between the walls. “Disgusting.” 

That was his reality. No one could deny that. But still, somehow, she claimed to have fallen in love with him. Over the phone, in between her other business calls. Out of all the people calling her, wanting a piece of her voice, he was the one she wanted to get to know better. And they did, they knew each other so well.

For fuck’s sake, he was nearly done with her book recommendation! 

Such a heavy thing to think about. No matter how he tried to turn it over and over in his head, the end result was just sheer and utter confusion. No matter what Obito did, he couldn’t make sense of Angel’s confession. He couldn’t make sense of the implications, that he was possibly still attractive to some people, that he was desirable. 

His therapist would have a field day with all his eternal struggling, he was sure. 

Angel loved him. Why? No idea. 

Was there a chance to meet her again? Could he maybe hear her voice just one more time? Just once more—sinking into blissful ignorance of the state of his body, just once more forgetting he was not able to walk without pain, and just once more feeling like a normal person again. 

Angel loved him. 

Something was tugging at his scars again, and when Obito reached up to touch his face, he realized he was smiling. Something strangely warm was born in his chest and only after a few moments, Obito noticed that feeling for what it was.

Happiness.

In the end, what else mattered? The ‘why’ or ‘how’, or the endless questioning about her reasons, what did it matter? She loved him. 

Only to pull back instantly. Not because she saw the extent of his injuries, but because she thought he was still in love with Rin.

One look at the walls around. There, the pictures of happier, past times: Rin being alive, laughing with him, young and free and unbothered. There were pictures of their first years together in High School, as students at the same university he now taught at, and as young adults talking about children, pets, and a house. 

After a year of struggling with himself—with the reality of her being gone forever, with his injuries making every day a living hell—he didn’t think he was in love with her anymore. No, he still loved Rin. Of course, but he wasn’t in love with her anymore. She was too long gone, her bones already rotting away beneath the earth. If nothing else, Obito knew that for sure. He loved Rin as part of his past, as someone he once loved dearly, but... he wasn’t in love with her anymore.

Did he love Angel though? That was an entirely different question—

At that silly thought, Obito couldn’t help but to snort. Why was a question even there in his mind? Fuck. He thought of Angel’s voice first thing in the morning, in the middle of teaching, and it was the last thing he thought about when he went to sleep. When they were talking, he forgot about time and would already start missing her as soon as the connection was cut. And not only that, he craved for more; craved everything about her. To see her, watch her go about her day, knowing what her hair looked like and what color her eyes had. Small mannerisms, little ticks, and like, was she a coffee or a tea person? Would she let her hair hang into her face or would she tuck single strands behind her ears? 

There was no question in his mind what his feelings were. Yes, he was in love with Angel. No doubts. No questioning. Just clarity.

Even though Obito knew his own feelings, there was still a problem at hand. The moment Angel confessed, she pulled out. He had no way to reach her as there was no way the hotline would give out a personal phone number or address.

As soon as he had something good in his reach, it disappeared again. Angel was gone, so far out of his reach that she could have also lived on the Moon. He would never know what could’ve happened between them, never to know for sure if this something could have blossomed into something more. 

Obito wanted nothing more than to forget. Now that Angel was no longer there as well, there was only one thing he could do to ignore the new wave of emotional pain. Just one thing left to do to keep his mind off of things. 

With practised ease, Obito thumbed through his phone, selecting one of the numbers he now had in his contacts for decades.

“Bakashi,” he grunted into the speaker when the other party finally picked up, “like always taking your sweet time picking up.”

The other man didn’t flinch one bit at the casual harshness in his voice. Instead, Kakashi chuckled. _“Aaah, Dumb-ito. Nothing like hearing your voice chirping in my ear.”_

“Cut the crap.”

_“Hey, you’re the one… Sssh, it’s alright. Sleep.”_

Someone else was with Kakashi, that much was clear. 

Obito sighed. “Who did you pick up again?”

 _“Not your business, but…”_ Kakashi yawned. _“I visited a bar and I still got it.”_

“Still got it?” 

_“Yes, no need to echo me.”_

“I’m not echoing you, I just can’t believe you’re still an insufferable douche.”

 _“Just because you don’t get any…”_ Kakashi’s voice trailed off, the mean comment forgotten when the socially-numb idiot realized where he was going. Obito cursed inwardly. He didn’t need the softly-treading friend he learned to trust more than anyone else over the last months. He needed the asshole-y idiot who couldn’t say ‘no’ to a good, old fight. 

“Oi,” he growled, a little grin edging behind his teeth, “what do you mean I don’t get any pussy? Just because I don’t leave my house for more than my physical rehabilitation doesn’t mean I can’t be active! Not everyone can be a whore like you.”

A door was shut on the other side of the connection and only then Kakashi dared to laugh. _“Really? Well, then count me surprised.”_

“You don’t believe me?”

_“Not one bit.”_

“Fuck you, Kakashi.”

_“Fuck you too, or does that imaginary girlfriend of yours do that for you?”_

“In fact, yes! She does! ...Almost.”

_“Almost…? Wait, you’re serious. Did you meet someone?”_

For a moment, Obito weighed his choices against each other. He could play it off as a joke and bear Kakashi’s jokes and his questioning comments, or tell a version of the truth he was comfortable sharing with his friend. Nothing—he decided after a split second—nothing bad would come out of telling Kakashi that he met a woman, met her regularly in fact, without knowing her name. That somehow, along the way of “meeting” her (here, Obito came up with a fantastic lie of a telephone-recovery program for invalid people, together with some other bullshit he pulled out of his mushy brain), he felt a spark and that this spark grew into something more, but that the woman was now gone and he knew nothing about her but her voice and some private details they shared. 

All of that was the truth, except Obito omitted the fact he called a sex-hotline because he felt an itch so many months ago he couldn’t scratch himself. 

When he wrapped the story up with Angel confessing over the phone, thinking Obito was still in love with Rin, Kakashi whistled out. _“Damn. That’s… a lot to take in there.”_

“Indeed,” Obito slumped into his armchair further, “and it’s hopeless. She’s completely gone. Out of my life. And there’s no chance I will ever meet her again.”

 _“Fuck…”_

“Indeed.” One look at the crumpled tissues still sitting on the coffee table and Obito had to fight a blush. “Just… fuck.”

_“No plans? Any ideas?”_

“No. There’s no hope. I have no idea where she’s from, where she lives, where she’s going from now on. That little dream, as short-lived as it was, is over.”

 _“Well…”_ Kakashi sighed into the speaker. _“Nothing to be done about it. Want me to come over with food and drinks? You know, to mend broken hearts and all that stuff?”_

“Better not lay it on too thick, otherwise I would say you’re a hopeless romantic yourself.”

 _“Maa,”_ Kakashi grumbled before cutting the line, _“you’re no fun, ratting me out like this. See you in a bit.”_

“See you.” All that was left to do was sink into his armchair and wait for Kakashi to let himself into the cold, dark house Obito bought almost exactly one year and one month ago, and fill the room with a little bit of light and warmth. 

It was exactly what Obito needed right now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Chisie, the absolute madlad and fantastic person all around!


	7. Seventh Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You start your new job at Konohagakure University, and you make a discovery you don't expect at all and fear all the same...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Welcome back!
> 
> To be honest, I should say that to myself -.- I knowwww, it took me awfully long to post this chapter, even though I bragged last time about that it would come in two weeks... sigh. Nice two weeks, they just doubled smh.  
> Here is my explanation, for the folks who don't have tumblr: First off, due to writing the little Christmas-series over the holidays, I decided to take a little break over New Years and post the new chapter last week, at the 9th. Yet, when I wanted to take the lovely copy from my Google Drive, my internet was gone :)))   
> It took some time for the internet to come back, and today was the day. Sorry for the long wait, I really can only hope that the chapter in itself will make up for it in some way >-<
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the new development and see you all in two weeks! I try to stick again to my original schedule as much as I can; hopefully my internet will agree with me on that one ^^''

Konohagakure University was built in the 1800s and it looked the part: dark-red bricks making up the very front of the main building, with vines overgrowing everything else but most of the well-maintained windows, with the mighty wooden doors and the very sign announcing its name.

You swallowed thickly as you stood there, hands clawing into the leather strap of your bag and your knees weak, trembling faintly in your comfortable flats. Your new workplace was right there—in the middle of the administrative office. 

Exactly what you studied for, all those years ago.

Gods, you felt like dying; dying and puking and shitting yourself, everything at the same time. However, there was still a not-so-small part of yourself that couldn’t wait to climb the stairs, open the doors wide and announce your presence to your co-workers. 

Months of writing job applications. Months of waiting for a mail, a call, a letter—just anything. Months of hoping, of giving up hope day by day, picking yourself up from the ground and going forward. And then, the call came. A call you never thought you would receive because the job was so far out of your league.

An administrative job at Konohagakure University. A woman named Shizune had called to tell you that you were invited for a job interview. That interview had been a week ago, and two days after that you received a call that you got the job. 

_I got the job._

With the stress and pressure of job hunting, you hadn't thought about Tobi in… weeks. Days. Days at least, right? Alright, merely a few days. It was hard to forget about him, out of reasons you didn’t want to examine too closely. Though, with every passing day, it had been easier to pretend you didn't miss him. Though, the sound of his voice—the little timbre when he laughed or a single, desperate moan—sometimes still rang in your ear. Though, when you woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, this was especially vivid. 

It wasn’t as hard anymore, and that was fine. 

(Your heart was still aching, hurting in the most inconvenient times; whenever you didn’t need to be reminded of how bad you felt about what happened, in how much misery you were in. Even though there was nothing to be done about it anymore.)

And now you were here, bright and prepared and ready to start your first day of your very boring, perfectly normal office job. There was no time to worry about past stuff anymore. 

Your fingers clawed into the leather of your bag more before letting go. Gods, you were nervous. However, it was also close to the agreed time. You had no more time to waste. Despite your nervousness, a small smile flashed over your face. 

_University, here I come~!_

A few steps, and you pushed the doors open. The inside of the main hall was just as impressive as the outside: A high ceiling, tall stairs leading up further into the building, and wide halls which demanded respect for the academy and its students. The surrounding chatter of the people filled you with more excitement, more happiness, and more nervousness. People were everywhere, walking around in groups or alone, all of them with at least one heavy bag or backpack strapped over their shoulders and carrying books in their arms. They had no eye or care for the simple old-fashioned beauty of the building. Carefully, you turned around to take more in, more of the atmosphere and more of the surroundings. Your feet made almost-no sound on the stone ground, while your eyes flickered around, eager and overwhelmed with everything they saw. 

The typical colors of the university, red, green and a dark blue, hung in the form of different signs and banners around the room. And again and again, you could spot the sterilized leaf all over the place. On t-shirts, sweaters, sport jackets, bags, notebooks, stickers, mugs and reusable coffee cans, key chains, rulers, other totes, pencils and pens, and even erasers in the form of the leaf one could buy for just a little bit more money than you would like to spend. Hell, you even spotted some shoes with the Konoha University logo printed all over them. 

The founders of the university were portrayed in huge paintings, hanging up over the heads of the people and looking as stern as one could be. Well, at least Tobirama Senju did. His older brother and first headmaster, Hashirama Senju was always smiling in his picture and looked like he couldn’t wait to get into a classroom to teach. 

You breathed in, breathed out. Gods, it felt so nice to take in the smell of books and old air, especially when you knew you would be breathing this air for some time from now on. 

Hopefully. There was definitely a chance that you would, but you still needed to be punctual on your first day, otherwise the current present could change at any second. Quickly, you pulled out your phone to check the scheduled plan of the university, as well as the note in your messed-up handwriting to see which room to go. Still to the admin office. Good. Should be pretty easy to find, especially considering there were signs pointing you into the direction of important landmarks around the university, like the administrative office, the mensa, different big lecture halls and so on. 

Except it _wasn’t_ easy. The signs were confusing, the explanation of two students confused you even more when you dared to ask, and the plan on your phone looked like it wasn't updated for a few years or so. (And to be honest, the entire website looked like shit as well.) Exactly seven minutes before you had to arrive at the admin office, you stopped trying and decided to take a moment for yourself. Just hiding your face behind your hands, breathing to calm yourself down and thinking about your next steps. You could call Shizune and admit you were lost. You could just try and continue to wander aimlessly around. You could—!

“Hello there. Gotten lost in this maze, huh?” A helping hand stretched itself into your small field of vision, where the cracks of your fingers were. “Wait, I don’t know you. First day or something?”

In the very first moment, when your brain didn’t catch up with the impressions yet, you wanted to drop your hands and smile at the man. Smile and tell him everything was alright, that you just had a little meltdown and pretty please, could he maybe guide you to the administrative office? But then… Oh, then.

_No way. There’s absolutely no fucking way this is happening._

You knew that voice. Knew it like the back of your hand fucking hand. Knew how it sounded when he laughed. Knew how it sounded when he was frustrated with the world. Knew how he sounded when he moaned and came with your nickname on his lips. There was absolutely no way—!

With a deep breath in, you peeked up through your fingers. A man stood in front of you, but oh. What a man. The most prominent features would’ve been his dark, brown, gentle eyes, so dark they seemed to be black, or the shaggy yet soft looking equally-dark hair. If not for the scars covering half of his face. The skin was obviously slightly raised, harder, a bit rosier than the other side of his face, but that didn’t stop him from being ridiculously attractive. Wisps of his hair hung on his forehead, making the lopsided smile even quirkier.

And he used Tobi’s voice. Scratch that, he had Tobi’s voice. You would recognize it anytime, any day, any moment of your life. The same dark rumble, the same little drawl, the same almost hidden frustration lying underneath every nice word. 

His smile quirked even higher, and only now you noticed you were staring. “Sorry about the scars, yeah. Not my fault though, I swear.”

You already heard it. Oh, how you already heard it a dozen times before. The weak hint of annoyance because people usually didn’t react well to his scars. Not with the sudden rush of heat running through your body at the sight of the dry, bitter smile crinkling the skin around his mouth. 

Unable to say a word, you shook your head. Again, just to make sure he would understand, only to finally drop your hands from your face. “It’s not… I don’t care about the scars.”

Your voice was way squeakier than usual and for once, you were grateful. If this guy—the guy who just had to be Tobi, oh gods—if he was truly your customer, if he was truly, really Tobi… life was unfair and cruel, once and for all. 

Nevertheless, the bitter smile vanished, being replaced by a wrinkle on his forehead and a weak wonder in his eyes. “Wait, do we know each other, maybe?”

 _Fuck._ Quickly, you shook your head, still skittish and avoiding the eye contact. You weren’t sure if he was even Tobi. Maybe it was just your imagination, your wishful thinking, your desperate hope clinging to an impossible scenario.

_Okay, find out if he’s really Tobi. If he works here, that should be easy enough._

The man who could be Tobi (or not) was still trying to work out if he knew you or not. You had to force him to think of something else, because if he truly was Tobi… 

“I need to get to the Admin Office, please. Could you help me?” Still, your voice had a strange squeak to it, obscuring your voice just enough to maybe, possibly, fool this man who maybe… 

No. He couldn’t be Tobi. That could only end in disaster. After what you told him, what you revealed to him… Oh gods, you didn’t want to imagine that outcome. The embarrassment, the shame, the damned conversation which would follow without a doubt. You didn’t want to experience that. 

For another long moment, the man stared at you. You could feel his eyes like fingers caressing your skin, all over your face, down to your neck, chest, stomach, legs and feet. Under his scrutinizing eyes, it was like being under a microscope in the intense focus of a scientist. 

“Please,” you begged, desperate to escape the situation any way you could, “I’m really lost here. Can you maybe show me the way to the Admin Office?”

Gods, there was audible despair showing in your voice now. How despicable, how pitiful. Thankfully, it still didn’t seem to click for him that you were hiding something. At least, the inquisitive expression vanished from his face and he turned around while gesturing over his shoulder. “Alright, yes. I can show you, totally. New job?”

“Yeah… First day.”

“Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

“No, we didn’t. I would remember.”

“Mhmm… Yeah, you would for sure. Anyway,” he turned his unscarred side of the face to you and smiled, “my name is Obito Uchiha. Professor for Mechatronics here. And you are?”

_Obito. Tobi? Obito Uchiha. Professor. Mechatronics._

_Gods. No, no. There can always be more than one. It's also just a coincidence they share a name. And a job. And an interest in it. And the scars, he can't be the only one who has—_

You breathed in weakly and barely squeaked out your reply. “(Y/N)... (Y/N) (Y/LN). Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Another smile, just as neutral and blank as before. Merely a customary pleasantry and strangely enough, it made your heart ache with longing. Longing for…

_No. Shut up. Don’t go that route. I don’t even know if it’s him._

But with every passing second in which Professor Uchiha talked, it became more and more obvious he was indeed _your_ Tobi. There were small things, small details which just _matched_ : he was a professor for Mechatronics (it surely couldn’t be a coincidence), the way he talked and his voice! Oh gods, _his voice_. It was the same; exactly the same, the same intonation, the same word usage, the same, same, same… 

_The same just as you remembered._

Your heartbeat picked up. Accelerated as you inspected his wide back, the shoulders, and the slight limp in his steps (without a doubt caused by whatever caused Obito to have such extensive scars), the nevertheless sunny attitude and yet the bleak thoughts lurking behind it.

You knew these thoughts. He voiced them to you, when he was ‘Tobi’ and you were ‘Angel’. 

With every passing second, you panicked more. Forgotten was the anxiety of the first day of work. Forgotten was the panic of not being able to find your own way to your workplace. Forgotten was all of that and more, except for the presence of Tobi so close to you.

Tobi. Obito. Of course. Even the names were so close to each other. Obito. Silently, you tested the name out, blushing behind his back while your tongue formed the syllables. O-bit-to. Obito. Obito Uchiha, professor at Konohagakure University. Tobi, the stranger with the nice voice who made you explode like fireworks whenever he riled you up. 

You were still trying to wrap your head around the unlikely discovery when Tobi— _Obito_ —suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to the right. “Here it is,” he pointed at the door together with the sign “Administrative Office” nailed to the space left of the door. “I guess I will see you more often from now on. (Y/N) (Y/LN), was it?”

You nodded. There was no way you would speak more than absolutely necessary. You were still reeling over the dumb random meeting, the realisation, the _elation_ , when the door to the office opened and a frantically searching, black-haired woman looked outside, and her kind dark eyes immediately zeroed in on you. 

Shizune. You had met her at the job interview. Thankfully, she came to rescue you from this strange situation. Her entire face lit up as she spotted you, and instantly stepped forward to grab your hand and shake it.

“Oh gosh, there you are! I know, I know, the building is a mess, just wait until you see the other offices. Sorry for not giving an adequate description.”

“It’s fine.” Politely, you shook her hand, heavily aware of Obito standing right by your side. “It’s my pleasure to be here.”

“Ah, not so formal! We’re starting off slow, so no worries, but I insist that you can use my first name and such. Come in, I already got the coffee machine running and have two mugs ready, so I can show you around first.”

Out of instinct, just when Shizune wanted to whisk you away, you looked over your shoulder. A sneaky little glance, but the sight greeting you made your heart ache. 

Obito… Tobi stood there. His shoulders were hanging lower than before, his head was downcasted, staring at his shoes and ground. Even his hands were balled into tight fists, clenching and unclenching in unrhythmic waves of tension and response. Casted aside, unwanted. Now that you actually saw him in flesh and blood, you understood so much about him.

The scars. Oh god, the scars. So many of them, covering such a big part of his body. You could only guess, but the scarring seemed to cover almost the entire half of him. So, so much. So much. It explained so much about him: Why he felt inadequate to face anyone; why he was insecure in himself; why he trusted a phone operator more than meeting a new person in a café or something. Of course, people would be looking at him like an abomination and of course, Obito would notice. Of course, he wouldn’t dare to go out, when the reaction would be the same time and time again, no matter who he would meet.

Your own reaction. The same reaction you were showing. 

_His scars are always with him. The pain of his accident is always living within. He has to face the world like that, without a mask or any chance to hide these scars or his emotions. He just has to swallow them down, down, down and the only chance to release some of that tension is…_

Was you. The hotline. And you took that away from him.

_Don’t be so dramatic. He probably went to another operator._

_But what if he…?_

_No, shut up. He just wants a cheap replacement for Rin to jerk off to._

These thoughts flashed through your brain in the little moments it took for Shizune to drag you closer to the door leading into the office. With a quick tug, you made her pause in her efforts and turned around to face Obito once more. This stranger with the familiar voice and the now-revealed face. 

“Thank you,” you said while a smile tugged at your lips, “it was nice to meet you. Maybe see you around?”

Disbelief stood in his eyes—gods, he was really as easy to read like you imagined—then the frustration and tension vanished. They faded away like dew in the morning of a warm spring day, only to brighten into a smile, just like the sun itself. 

So hilariously easy to read. And so adorable.

You could feel yourself blush at the sudden change in behavior. Another quick wave at Obito, which he returned with way more enthusiasm than necessary, then you turned to Shizune, whose eyebrows rose almost up to her hairline. Without any struggles, you allowed her to drag you into the office, even accepted her questions that she shot at you in quick succession.

“Professor Uchiha, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Did you just meet him?”

“When I was lost, he was so nice to accompany me here.”

“You don’t know what happened to him, do you?”

Of course, you knew. But Shizune’s worried eyes made you shake your head, only to listen to her in growing horror at the true extent of the tragedy which unfolded in Obito’s life. “A car accident, nearly a year ago now. His wife Rin was… Gods, she was such a calm, gentle soul. Rin died right beside him on the car seat while Obito was injured to an extent the doctors thought he would also die. Half of his body. He only recently came back from his stay at the hospital and rehabilitation clinic and still has trouble walking sometimes. But the people… the people are the worst.” She shook her head, looking genuinely upset. “They don’t realize how much he is still hurting and how much their whispers behind his back affect him. You know?”

You must’ve swallowed a small baseball, at least it felt that way. With your throat too tight to speak, you nodded. Gods, no wonder Obito was like this. No wonder _Tobi_ had been like this. Angry and tense and ready to tear down the entire world just for a little bit of peace. With his injuries to that extent… Physical rehabilitation… He must still be undergoing treatment, with him reporting about pain to you over the phone and Shizune only underlining that… And yet, he still managed to be this friendly, open and happy. Stepping forward to lead a clearly-lost-new employee to their workplace, knowing seeing him for the first time would draw stares and whispers his way.

A new wave of raw sympathy washed over you. Obito was way too nice for his own good, hurting himself with the smallest kind gestures. He deserved more than that. He deserved—!

_Me? Please, don’t go that way. This is just ridiculous._

True. What could you really do for him, anyway? Now, just as what you were, a strange stranger while you knew more about him than you actually should. It was for the better to keep everything a secret. Your work history, your calls with Tobi, your attraction to him. Everything. No need to wake a sleeping bear. 

Nothing good would come out of it.

Shizune shook you out of the dark fog, excited and happy and not knowing what went on inside your head. “Though, it’s really not my place to say that. Spreading rumors. A fine office worker I am, to prove stupid prejudices right.”

“Oh, it’s fine with me. I won’t spill anything.”

“Thank the gods.” She exhaled, then straightened her shoulders. “Well, now that this is out of the way, how about we finish that coffee and then take a little walk around the premises? But be aware, Konohagakure University is huge, it will take some time until we get back.”

“Fine by me as well.” And it truly was. Maybe, the walk would keep your thoughts off the strange meeting you had today; a meeting which should’ve never happened in the first place.

Overall, the world was apparently still a surprisingly small place.

~ X ~

Shizune was right. Konohagakure University was huge. Buildings over buildings, and almost one entire complex for every single department. On the wide campus, you lost orientation more than once, but Shizune was always there with a swing in her step and a cheerful voice to comment on the history of the university, the latest construction work going on, and some rumors going around (the poor library workers were despairing over one or several individuals who left peanut butter sandwiches all around the library, most of them stuck to shelves and ruining books). Your head was swirling from all the new information, the shortcuts and ways around the campus, so you were secretly cheering in relief when Shizune announced that the tour was over and guided you safely back to the admin office.

Though, when you two neared the office, two loud voices filled the hallway. Several students hurried away from the commotion, but there were also several people walking towards the loud fight going on, led in harsh voices and even harsher words.

“Bakashi, I'll tell you one last time—!”

“There’s nothing you can tell me which matters in the long run.”

“Leave it alone!”

“Maa, I won’t though, and we both know that. Convince me, then.”

“I swear, you’re an absolutely disgusting bastard—!”

“Nothing new, again.”

“Not again.” Shizune’s steps quickened. “Not today, come on!” She shouted the last sentence, like it would matter to the two parties who were shamelessly fighting loudly and publicly in the middle of a well-visited hallway. 

It was Obito, you realized when you came close enough to recognize the men standing right in front of the admin office (up in each other’s faces and growling at each other like mad dogs) and another guy with grey hair and a surgical mask covering his lower face. 

_Bakashi._

The name rang a bell. For a moment, you had to think, only to find the specific memory in one of the talks Tobi had with you: A childhood friend, a friend who also knew Rin. 

_Not again_ , Shizune said. Not _again_. Were their fights a regular occurence, right in front of the admin office? Or was their fighting just so infamous around the campus that people all across the university knew and anticipated them?

Ultimately, it didn’t matter in the long run. Shizune made her way through the small crowd and you merely followed, trying to stay as close as possible to her. “Stop fighting!”

None of the men cared though. They just continued to argue loudly and publicly without a worry in the world. And, to your eternal surprise, they also didn’t seem to argue out of malice or ill will. No, when Obito turned to look over his shoulder, there was a small smile already on his face, an amused twinkle in his eyes and a little dimple denting his unmarred cheek. He genuinely enjoyed the argument, even though his expression instantly switched to a neutral scowl.

“Don’t bother Shizune,” he growled and turned again to his contrahent. “The idiot just can’t let it go.”

The “idiot” didn’t seem to mind one bit to be insulted. His eyes were creased in half-moons, the lower part of his face hidden behind a simple surgical mask, but you had the distinct feeling that man enjoyed the fighting just as much as Obito did. “Sorry you’re simply not smart enough to follow my train of thought, Dumb-ito. So incredibly sorry for that.”

Fake sarcasm dripped off of his words, and yet Obito went off like a firecracker. 

“Take it back!” he demanded. “I still understand more about _that_ than you do!”

However, before they could start up again, Shizune jumped between them and pushed them apart. The woman was so obviously done with the two men. You could basically see steam coming from her ears in her attempt to stay calm and defuse the situation in a civil manner. 

“Calm down, will you?” Shizune pleaded, her eyes always straying towards the displeased students around them, who now wouldn’t get some verbal bloodshed between their next course and lunch. “Just… calm down, please.”

While Shizune tried to straighten out the mood, you got the chance to inspect both guys closer, and you had to admit that both of them were… attractive in their own way. Of course, you could clearly see the obvious beauty of the other guy. Even from what you could see from his face, you just knew he had ridiculously symmetrical face features, was fit and strong and well dressed enough to impress all the students around him. In comparison, Obito really seemed like the hunchback of Notre Dame, so to speak: The scars on his face, the weak hunch, the light limb, the scowl on his face, and the lingering anger in his eyes. All of this, and still. There were some students among the onlookers who were cheering Obito on, and some of this handful of students looked at him in appreciation and weak hope. 

He was less hated than he thought. At least, his students liked him.

Speaking of, most of the students already walked away in small groups as the spectacle was already over. Like that, there were only a few students left mingling in the hallway, hoping for a continuation of the fight and thus, their entertainment. 

“Maa, and who do we have here?” Suddenly, the other man peered over Obito’s shoulder, still smiling and still oh-so-obviously trying to get a rise out of Obito. “A new face. What’s your name, huh?”

Obito instantly side-stepped into his line of sight. “Bakashi, leave her out of—!”

But before he could continue to protect you _(like you knew each other for longer than ten minutes—which was the truth, but HE had no idea)_ the other man stepped around Obito and into your face, still again smiling like he experienced the biggest joy he could possibly imagine. “Hey there, always good to see a new face. A new admin worker, I take it?”

“Yeah…”

“My name is Kakashi Hatake. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

You took the offered hand and shook it. Kakashi’s grip was firm; firm enough to make you grind your teeth at the sudden pressure. Nevertheless you felt like a rabbit in the focus of an eagle as he stared at you. One of his eyes was scarred; a long, singular scar slashing right through the eye. He seemed lucky to still have two functioning ones, measured at the severity of whatever incident he had been in. 

“And what’s your name?”

“(Y/N) (Y/LN).”

“And? What do you think of our university?”

“It’s pretty big. I got lost on the way.”

“Any other first impressions?”

You nodded at Obito, who was staring with a disgruntled glare at you and Kakashi talking. When your eyes fell on him though, the disgruntled expression fell away to make space for mild surprise as you continued, eyes steadfast on him. “I experienced that the faculty members are pretty nice and like to lend a helping hand.”

The look at Obito’s direction wasn’t missed by Kakashi. He didn’t even look over his shoulder; just chuckled. “Oh, I see. Dumb-ito told me he met you already, but that he was the knight in shining armor he didn’t mention.”

“He didn’t need to mention it to you, did he?”

“Aah.” Kakashi chuckled again, in a tone which slowly grated away at your nerves. Terribly condescending, like he was talking to a child. “So feisty. I like it.” 

“Good to know and yet, it shouldn’t be any of your concern.” In a challenge, you raised your chin. This guy! The nerve of him! Treating you like a child or a cute new pet, basically petting you on the head and cooing about how cute you were. You definitely understood why Obito was fighting with him constantly—if Kakashi was always talking like this with everyone around him.

Again, he merely chuckled at your front. “As I said: feisty. Just say, because I’m curious. Did you work in a hospital before? Or a rehabilitation clinic, maybe?”

The question came so out of the blue you were left stunned for a few seconds. You blinked, once, twice, thrice. Breathed in, licked your lips, breathed out. All kinds of different thoughts were racing through your head as you tried to decipher where he was going with his question.

_What does he want me to say to that?_

_This is such a strange question. What the…?_

_What does he want to achieve with his questions? With these specific questions especially?_

_Is he interrogating me? What is he thinking?_

_Why the question about my former occupation? Why doesn’t he just assume I worked an office job before that?_

Your eyes fell again on Obito, drawn to him like a moth was drawn to the flame. Part of the answers laid in his expression. Hopeful, a bit nervous, nibbling at his bottom lip and avoiding your look when he noticed it. Some strange behavior, but as you already found out, Obito was an open book: so easy to read. 

Somehow, sometime, out of reasons you couldn’t even begin to guess, Obito had a friendly conversation with Kakashi and told him about the fleeting suspicion that he knew you. And Kakashi, as a good but probably nosy friend, decided to stick his nose into things he shouldn’t get himself into and totally wasn’t his place to begin with. 

Now, he wanted to find out through open interrogating if you were speaking the truth and didn’t know Obito beforehand nor didn’t meet him before starting this job. 

This was an incredibly dangerous position to be in. If you would reveal your real job up until this point in life, you would have a hard time to survive on a campus full of hormonal, phone-handy students who had nothing better to do than film confrontations and posting scandalous videos all over social media for clout. 

No. There was no way you would tell this stranger, in a wide and open hallway with students still way too close, with the person who probably kicked off this ridiculous question in the first place and your superior what your former job would be. Especially with the raunchy parts of your former job. No, no way. Plus, and that was the bigger part of your decision here, you wouldn’t reveal this secret to Obito. Never ever. Fuck, you confessed to him and told him you knew he was still loving his late wife, so you would just vanish from his life and he would never hear from you again. 

Meeting him here was already unlucky enough, but you wouldn’t make it worse for him. Besides, work would be strained if he ever found out, with the entire set-up of the situation and everything in between.

No. Absolutely not. You would take this secret to the grave. And you could. Obito didn’t seem to recognize your voice, didn’t know it was “Angel” looking him in the eyes and standing right in front of him.

It would be for the best. 

“No.” It wasn't a lie. You kept your eyes on Obito, calm and collected as one could be while freaking out a tiny bit on the inside. “I have never worked in a hospital or a rehabilitation center. Sorry.”

That was also true. You didn’t even need to lie to answer Kakashi’s question, which was a relief.

Kakashi cocked his head to the side. “Mhm. Alright. Maybe somewhere in a coffee shop? Right outside the campus, maybe?”

“No. At least as much as I can remember.”

“Are you sure?”

You finally realised where he was going with this. 

You smiled innocently. “Oh, totally.” 

“What about a grief hotline? Honorable work, really.”

Your insides turned to ice. Did he really…? No. No, he didn’t.

Obito didn’t tell his friend about _that_ hotline. A vague lie though about a grief hotline, that was bearable enough for him to not humiliate himself in front of his friend. Hatake was just blindly stabbing into the darkness in the weak hopes of hitting the hornet’s nest. You were pretty safe in that regard, but to be sure, you had to derail Obito from the very dangerous path to the truth. 

Instead of continuing to speak to Kakashi, you directed your words at Obito, accompanied with a gentle, sorry smile, one corner of your lips higher than the other and eyebrows knitted together. “Sorry, but before I met you this morning, I hadn't met you. I’m just an average office worker eager to start my job today. So, it was nice to meet you, Kakashi. Obito. We will see each other in the future without a doubt.” 

You nodded at both men, then turned to Shizune, who was staring at you with stars in her eyes. “Shall we? I’m really eager to get to know the office and tasks around.” Not waiting for her, you walked over to the admin office and opened the door. After a few moments, Shizune woke up from her daze and followed, wiggling her eyebrows at you and mouthing something to you that you couldn’t make out for the life of yours, before she brushed past. 

A last wave at the two men, then you gently closed the door and were instantly overrun by Shizune, way too excited for something as simple as your rebuttal. 

“That was so great! Gods, Kakashi gets on my nerves constantly with his late paperwork and Obito with their constant bickering! You knocked them down a notch, that’s for sure!”

“I don’t believe so.” You nearly expected them to knock again at the door to question you further, but thankfully it stayed silent. No more fighting, no more questions. Just safe secrecy from their probing. “They seem like the type of people to not give up when they find something interesting to toy with.”

Shizune hummed. One of her hands rose up to wipe one strand of her neatly combed black hair behind her ear. “Sure, Kakashi is sometimes like that. One time, he annoyed me for days with a long overdue note on an important paper, played pranks on me and downright terrorized the office. Iruka—he isn’t in today, but you will get to know him—was the one standing up to him in the end, and still, there were some pranks being played on us. But I don’t think Obito can be like that.”

“Hmm.” Still, you eyed the door for another second before turning fully to Shizune. “Oh well. They will calm down soon enough when the new toy loses its shine. So, what’s next?”

Keeping your secret from Obito would go fine. There was literally no way he would find out. Your mind was made up. For his sake, for your sake, and for the sake of your new job, you would stay silent and rebut any kind of interrogation anyone would put you in. 

Yes. You could hide your identity from Obito. He wouldn’t find out; he wouldn’t ever find out you were “Angel” nor that you were this close. 

It would save you both from the inevitable embarrassment and, in the long run, also from you having to quit your new job. 

Everything would be alright. You could do this. Hiding yourself from Obito would be probably easier than you thought anyway. You were in the admin office and he would be in his own office or teaching students. No crossovers there.

Everything had to be alright. It just had to be.

_I got this. It will be fine. Yeah, I got this._

~ X ~

She was strange. Strangely welcoming, strangely accepting, and strangely _familiar_. Obito couldn’t help but stand and stare when the new admin was about to enter the office. She gave one last wave over her shoulder, then the door fell closed and left him alone with Kakashi.

“Well,” his childhood enemy and long-time friend sighed, “that didn’t go so well.”

“Maybe because someone decided to stick their nose into a situation where it didn’t belong. Asking her such questions, really?”

The other man shrugged. “What? Now you have clarity! It’s not your hotline operator, so don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Wrong. Kakashi was so, so wrong. It wasn’t a clear conscious clarity, just some hollow feeling deep down in his stomach that something—just _something_ —about the woman wasn’t quite right to him. It didn’t feel right, didn’t feel _honest_. Kakashi was wrong, as simple as that. The new admin had something to hide and Obito wanted to find out why.

 _Her voice_.

He would swear it was Angel’s voice. The same intonation, the same word choices, the same mannerisms. They were all the same; the same as Angel’s. At the same time, Angel had only ever whispered and moaned at him, and the few times she didn’t were erased or corroded by the passing time. Then the look she gave him…

No disgust. Curiosity, interest, yes. Of course. But no disgust. Not even in the very first moment when he found her, crouched down with her face hidden behind her hands while trying to keep calm. Shock, yes. But no disgust, and he appreciated that little gesture of kindness more than anything else. Alone, that would be worthwhile chasing, but together with the small doubts he harboured about her story… 

It was more than enough for him to continue his pursuit of the full truth. With a low sigh, Obito continued to ignore Kakashi and started walking down the hallway; a feat which hadn’t been easy to achieve over the years of life-long insults and fights. 

The absence of disgust and her voice had captured his attention more than a good old fight with Kakashi ever could. 

_I’m gonna prove it. I’m gonna prove she's Angel._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by the lovely, amazing, wonderful Chisie <3


	8. Eighth Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you could hide from Obito forever. You told yourself it would be fine. Unfortunately, life rarely was that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry for the longer wait yet again, there was some mistake on my part in planning ^^'' 
> 
> I hope this chapter makes a little bit up for the waiting time! :D Thank you so much for the continued support for this fic, it blows me away! >///<

How could you ever think you would be able to hide yourself from Obito for as long as you worked at Konohagakure University? It almost seemed impossible. Seriously, the campus suddenly seemed like a small village. Obito seemed to cross your path at every possible chance! In the canteen, in the hallways, hell, sometimes he would just drop by in the admin office to chat with Shizune and by default, also with you. There were no more questions about your jobs before this one, but questions about your hobbies, favorite things, and other small private details. Innocent questions, and yet questions you deflected with the same determination you used to throw yourself into your new job. All these small, perfectly innocent questions could be used by Obito to piece together who you truly were as these were all questions you had already answered truthfully as “Angel”. 

He wouldn’t give up, though. 

Despite your best efforts to keep him at arm’s length, ducking behind corners when you saw him in a hallway, sometimes walking with a crutch and sometimes walking with a noticeable limb. You hid behind bookshelves in the library when you nearly met him once, only barely avoiding him as Obito started to chat up the librarian. And whenever Shizune and you would walk to the canteen to grab lunch, you made sure to either hide behind her and look around like a maniac, just to be sure you were safe from more relentless questions.

And yet… you liked being the center of his attention. Just like when he was Tobi, Obito was overly attentive, honest, and friendly. A great joy to be around overall. When he appeared out of nowhere to bombard you with questions, there was the warmth in your stomach rising and filling every nook and cranny of your body. The crush wasn’t gone; never really went away. It was still there and with Obito also being _there_ and not just his voice, your crush was growing fast back to the way it was before. 

Even worse than that, you found yourself _craving_ for his interrogations; wanted to be close to him, even if it was dangerous for you to be so. If Obito ever found out, there was no way he wouldn’t pity you, and it was something you absolutely didn’t want. You were pitying yourself already. No need for someone else to do it for you. 

It was a dangerously thin line to walk on, craving for his attention while knowing having his attention on you could only end badly for you. 

After two weeks, you had convinced yourself you wouldn’t be found out. Obito’s visits started to also slow down and he didn’t seem as enthusiastic anymore whenever he asked about your day or tried to not-so-secretly interrogate you about your past. It was a fact which made you happy and feel dejected at the same time. 

Two weeks. It didn’t take long to think you were safe from discovery. Oh, how wrong you were.

“Sure you will be alright?” Shizune asked for the third time as she slung the scarf around her neck. In her coat, scarf and a cute knitted hat, you could already feel the fall winds coming from the outside and blowing through the smallest cracks. “I can do it, for sure!”

“Oh, come on.” Laughing, you swirled around in your chair. “You were talking so much about the date night with your boyfriend. I can handle this update for the system just fine. You go and have fun!”

Still, Shizune didn’t seem convinced. Her bag was already slung over her shoulder and she was nearly out of the door, but she paused yet again. She was worrying still, which was her good right. After all, you were only employed for two weeks. However, you could wait for a little update to go through, there were no buttons to press or anything to do about it, just waiting until the update was good to go. 

No need for Shizune to be there. No need for her to stress unnecessarily about getting home in time and getting ready for the nice dinner in a fancy restaurant when you could do the same job without any time pressure. 

“Go!” You laughed at her while doing half-hearted ‘shush’ gestures. “You will be late and then me staying late will be for naught! Enjoy the night!”

Finally, Shizune left. The door closed with a definitive sound as you leaned back into your swivel chair. The day was done. This late, there wouldn’t be any more students coming in and needing help, so you could pack up a bit and organize your thoughts for the evening and the coming days. While your hands ruffled through your weekly planner and wrote down different chores to do, your mind drifted off. 

_I have to go grocery shopping soon._

_Do I cook for dinner? Or do I get take-out?_

_Urgh, and I also need to write to my property manager about the leaking shower head. Let’s see when he will react this time. Maybe in half a year or so, if i’m lucky._

_Dinner? Today? Take-out? I still have salad, but I really don’t want—!_

The pencil jumped out of your hand when the phone suddenly rang. A call at this hour? Not a common occurrence, but also not unlikely. One deep sigh in and you put on your best customer service voice when you answered the phone. 

“Hello there, Konohagakure University, Administration Office here. (Y/LN) speaking, how can I help you?”

There was just a single gasp at the other end of the line, but nothing else.

You cocked your head to the side. “Hello? Anybody there?”

_“Yes.”_

Instantly, you sat up straighter in your chair. Shit, it was Tobi… Obito. Professor Uchiha was even better. Professor Uchiha was calling you, at this hour? Strange. Really strange.

“Well, what can I help you with?” Faking cheerfulness was almost in your second nature and this instinct couldn’t be buried by merely two weeks of working in this office. 

More silence. Long and drawn out. Unsettling, unnerving, and making you bite your bottom lip and fidget in your chair. 

“Hello? Professor Uchiha?” You tried again. “Can I help you with anything?”

He coughed, paused, stumbled over his words. _“Well… Yeah, I wanted… I think I wanted… Nevermind. You… you didn’t happen to…?”_

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m afraid.”

_“Me neither.”_

“But… you called?”

_“Yeah, I… I wanted something, I don’t know.”_

“You don’t know?” you echoed, still smiling. “Well, if you remember what you wanted to do, let me know, alright?”

_“Alright… Angel.”_

It was like being punched by a professional boxer. You gasped out, slapped your hand over your open mouth before more could come out. Inside your head, a carousel of panic and quickly dawning horror started to spin. How? How did he find out? Two weeks of talking to you and he only found out over what? This goddamned phone call?

The phone call. Oh god, it had to be the phone call. The familiar sound of your voice plus the ever constant white noise of the phone call, overbearing everything else. The combination of these two—basically a recreation of the situation back when you were still working for the hotline—was everything Obito needed to kick off his memory. 

You were so caught up in your victory of not being found out by him in person, that you didn’t think a mere phone call would be a reason to worry. And yet, here you were.

 _“I think,”_ Obito started, drawing out every word into eternity, _“I think we need to talk.”_

“I don’t know about what.”

_“You know exactly about what.”_

“No.”

 _“Angel.”_ An involuntary shudder wandered down your back at the way Obito caressed the nickname in the way he spoke it, _“Stop denying the truth. I know who you are. And I suspect that you also know who I am, measured at the fact you’ve been working really hard to avoid me.”_

“I didn’t—!”

_“Please. Don’t lie to me like that. It was painfully obvious in retroperspective. Gods, how could I’ve been so blind…?”_

“You’re mistaken, I’m not…” However, your voice was already dying down as you realized further protests were useless. Obito found out and nothing you would say would convince him otherwise. Still, you finished your sentence, meek, silent and knowing Obito wouldn’t buy it. “I’m not your Angel.”

When Obito snorted, you flinched. So dry and harsh, like you never heard him before. _“Bullshit. You’re the Angel I know and I’m the Tobi you know from you-know-where. I want to talk.”_

“We’re already talking,” you automatically gave back. 

_“We’re not,”_ he growled, _“we’re not talking about the thing which actually matters.”_

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

_“How long do you want to discuss that? There is something to talk about. For example, the way our last talk went! I would like to understand that!”_

“I don’t want to.”

 _“But_ I _want to! Don’t you think I deserve at least that much? After… After what you said to me?”_

Obito kind of had a point. At least, an explanation was in order, even though you still tried to wiggle out of the grasp of his words and your guilty consciousness. 

The update was done and like a puppet, you shut down the system and PC, while you merely tried to halt the carousel of your own insecurities and fears spinning inside your head. 

“Yes, you… You deserve to know the reasoning. But Tobi, I don’t… I can’t—!”

_“You can and you will. I’m still in my office. Come here when you’re done with your work.”_

Just when you wanted to protest more, Obito cut the connection. No discussion possible; no chance to argue further. There was just the blaring silence of the phone as you slowly lowered the handpiece down to the table. 

You could just… not go; decide to be ignorant of Obito’s questions and walk past the door of his office. You could just do that and live with his ever constant pestering, chasing after you and demanding answers. You could do that. 

Or… you could face the consequences of your actions. You could enter Obito’s office and stand your ground, listen to what he had to say and be done. Maybe, only maybe, he would even allow you to stay in your job and not leak you were a former hotline-worker to the higher-ups. Maybe, if you explained yourself properly, he would leave you alone and even forget the silly confession you uttered. 

Your mind was made up. Quickly, you collected all your things, grabbed your coat and scarf and threw them over your arm, before leaving the office and locking it properly. The keys jingled in your hand as you turned around and walked down the mostly empty, dark hallway. Only a few students were still up and awake, greeting you with a hasty nod or a sleepy wave. Even after merely two weeks, most of them already recognized you and knew where you worked. 

The clip with your name on your jacket also helped. 

Just a couple of stairs and long, dark hallways later, you stood in front of Professor Uchiha’s door. For a moment, you paused and stared merely at the door. You bit your lips, knowing whatever was coming wouldn’t be a nice, calm discussion between adults. Then, you raised your hand to knock at the heavy door.

_Knock-knock._

_Like straight out of a bad porn_ , the quick thought flashed through your mind. You were merely missing either the pizza box or a hairy porn-stache.

“It’s me, (Y/N),” you said after more moments of silence in which you fidgeted on your two feet. “Uhm… I’m… I’m ready to talk, but if you don’t want to talk anymore, I would understand that as well.”

“No, no. I’m here. Just… one second.”

There. His words, his voice, his entire being. Obito, accompanied by the soft knocking of his crutch, opened the door with a tense, strained smile. The look in his eyes was unidentifiable. Nothing you would say or do seemed like it would have any effect on him. Just the dark iris staring at you, trying to decipher if you were honest or not. 

Again, you fidgeted on your feet. “Hey.”

Obito slowly nodded. “Hey.”

“Well, here I am.”

Again, Obito nodded. Only then, after several more moments of tense silence, he pulled the door completely open and made space for you to enter—like a forgotten afterthought; like he didn’t invite you into his office specifically to talk; like he didn’t care about your presence, and that realization might be the most painful of them all. 

“Thank you.” Carefully, you stepped inside the room, like a newborn deer on shaky legs and now knowing what was waiting for you. 

Obito’s office was filled to the brim with books. Books were stacked upon his desk and towered over the screen of his PC, in the corners of the room with marks and dust all over them, and in the shelves and looking rather miserable. 

Behind you, the door closed. A pause, which you used to close your eyes and tried to calm your fluttering nerves, then Obito walked past you. Every _tock_ of his crutch on the ground made your heart bleed. Every silent, suppressed groan he made even though he tried to keep his mouth shut made you wish the situation was a different one. Every small, limping step he took towards his desk reminded you of his dark past. He dropped into the swivel chair with a heavy sigh.

“Well…” His dark eyes met yours and out of instinct, your head immediately sunk. “(Y/N). Angel. What should I call you?”

“You know my stance on this one. My real name is sufficient.”

“Alright. (Y/N)... Anything you want to start with?”

“First off,” you breathed in, “I don’t appreciate being called into your office like a student who misbehaved and now needs a good talking.”

“Noted.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Sorry.” It was foolish, but when Obito acted like he was locking his mouth and throwing the key away, it nearly made you smile. Such a clown, even in this strange situation. Though, as soon as his hand dropped, his expression was back to the serious man from before, riddled by the death of his wife and the strange woman right in front of him, once-hotline-operator turned office-lady. 

_What would I do to be called into his office for an entirely different reason…_

_The desk looks really good to lay across it, slowly fucked until I moan into my own hand._

_No, I really shouldn’t think like that._

_He doesn’t love me, don’t forget that._

The reality made you sober up. Right. No time for dreaming. Especially those kinds of dreams. Those were way too dangerous to follow. 

“Okay, what do you want to know?” A sudden jolt went through Obito’s body as you lifted your chin, challenging him to question you. Better close your eyes and get over with it. “And please make it fast, I want to go home.”

“I want to go home as well, and yet I deem this conversation so important that I delay feeding my cat and facing her wrath later on.”

“You have a cat?”

“Yes, and she is very, very demanding when it comes to her food. So…” Obito cocked his head to the side, his hands folded in front of his mouth and eyes as deep and piercing as ever. “Where do I start?”

“I don’t know.”

“True, true.”

His sigh rang heavily in the air, an echo of your own disappointment and hopelessness. “Alright. Yeah. I think… Why not start with our last talk?”

“What about it?”

“You know…” He fidgeted in his chair. “After… the stuff we did. You told me something I wasn’t too sure I understood correctly.”

“I quit. I don’t see where that is a statement to be misunderstood.”

“You know I’m not talking about that.”

“You have to be precise on that one.”

Obito sighed, full of annoyance at your defiance. “You know what I’m talking about. You… you confessed your feelings to me.”

“That… may be right, yes.”

“Would you please explain?”

With a click of your tongue, you snarled at him. “What is there to explain? I told you how I feel about you, told you that I know I don’t have a chance and apologized for intruding. There’s nothing left to say.”

“Oh, I truly believe there is a whole lot to say about you having feelings for me.” He leaned back into his chair, nearly toppling over the crutch leaning against his desk. For a second, it looked like the crutch was about to fall, but then he reached for it. His fingers closed around the tool and like nothing ever happened, Obito sat up straight, with a bright blush covering his face. Fuck, if he just was a little bit less adorable, then maybe falling out of love would be a little bit easier. 

You were dragged out of your thoughts by a small cough. 

“Anyway. Fine, you… you have feelings for me. That’s… that’s nice. Thank you.”

Oh god, he was thanking you. _Thanking you_ for having fallen in love with him. It couldn’t get any worse than that. 

“And that is the point where I excuse myself." Quickly, you shrugged on your coat and ignored Obito’s garbled protest. “It was nice to talk about that with you, but not necessary to delve more. So, if you now excuse me, I have to go get groceries.”

“(Y/N), wait, this isn’t what I meant-!”

“Wait, you didn’t thank me for catching feelings for you? Did I imagine the last thirty seconds of the conversation?”

“Yes, I did and no, you didn’t, but that’s not what I wanted to-!”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I will just exit this room and never think of this conversation ever again.”

“You can’t leave.”

“Oh, I can and I will.”

Something changed. Something in his voice made you pause just when you were about to turn around and leave him behind. His voice now had a rough edge to it, darker and commanded you to listen and stop in the middle of your tracks. It was the voice of the person you encountered on the phone sometimes when Tobi needed hard and fast relief. It was the same voice you happily submitted to before and couldn’t turn down now. 

_Come on. I can do this. Deny him, despite the fucking obvious attraction to him._

_Fucking Tobi. Fuck him and my weakness for his voice. For this voice._

“Please.” You realized that you couldn’t deny him when you heard the raw undertone dripping from the single word as he spoke. “Please. This reaction… it wasn’t right. I didn’t want to thank you for falling in love with me. I apologize. Sometimes,” he sighed, “my mouth is faster than my brain.”

“I know that.”

“I’m sorry,” Obito repeated. “I just… Listen, I don’t want to speak about this like… like we’re total strangers. We’re not.”

“We are, we have to be. I don’t want to lose my job over this shit!” 

“You won’t!”

“Really?” You placed your hands in the crook of your hips. “Can you promise me you will never say anything about my job to anyone? Can you promise you will never let anything slip? Not one word, one innuendo, not one “Angel” to my face? You can’t! You just can’t!”

“Then, just say I’m sexually harassing you. Or I insulted you. Anything to make me look bad.” Obito said it like that was the perfect solution, like lying would solve any of this mess. Just before you could retort, Obito moved in his chair. For a second, you thought he wanted to merely find a better position, but then he grunted and his face grew red. His hands were flat on his armrests, trying to push himself and his struggling body up, but no such luck. 

Before you knew it, you were by his side. His shoulder was tense as you pressed one hand against the tense muscles there, and the other taking his wrist. A nod from him, and you helped him up into a standing position. His weight was pressing against you, your nose full with his aftershave and the scent of lavender soap.You could barely keep yourself from burying your nose in his soft-looking hair and smelling the man. 

“Thank you.” So close to him, and his voice dropped to a mere whisper. And still, still you could hear the pain bleeding through every syllable, see the twisted expression on his face, and hear the ragged breaths wheezing out of his mouth. 

“No problem.” When you were sure he stood on stable feet, you stepped away. For a few more seconds, you watched him, made sure he wouldn’t fall over any second, then took another step backwards. Anything just to get away from his intoxicating presence. 

He looked… still pained. Obito’s back was bent, leaning over the table, trying to apparently just breathe. Your heart _bled_ for him. 

“What I wanted to say.” Finally, he looked up from the table, his mouth slightly open and hard wrinkles in his face. “That if you ever hear a word about you working at a hotline, you can throw me under the bus as well. Drag me down, smear shit all over my name. I would deserve it.” 

“And you had to stand up for that?” You frowned. “There has to be more. I’m not buying it.”

Again, Obito took a deep breath in. “I would like to talk about this calmly. In peace. Not like this, with you ready to jump out of the door and me having… a bad day.” 

_Oh gods, he is in pain._

_Fuck. How didn’t I notice?_

Simple, you were too tense by Obito discovering your identity than to see the signs. You were too engrossed in your own mess of a life than to notice he was suffering. You closed your eyes for a second, tried to control your emotions, only to nod. You nodded with conviction; resolute enough to make a difference for yourself. “Alright. Yes, you’re right. We can’t… We shouldn’t talk like this.”

“Can we meet for lunch? Tomorrow maybe?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Despite your sympathy for him, you needed to look out for yourself first, and that meant to do anything to get out of this situation. You needed to sort through your thoughts—needed to get some fresh air and clarity. Never in a hundred years, you would’ve believed something like this would happen: Meeting one of your customers, meeting Tobi at your new workplace, meeting like this…

Just insane. 

The entire way home, you tried to make sense of the entire ordeal. On the trip to the grocery store, you still wondered, and back at home—with half of the needed things missing—you gave up on the evening and ordered takeout. 

Your thoughts were circling over and over around Obito, around Tobi, and about the meeting tomorrow, and back.

~ X ~

Meeting with Obito was something you also never planned to do, but here you were. A little bit dressed up, a thin sheen of make-up on your face, fidgeting around in front of the doors leading inside one of the bigger lecture halls where Obito held one of his lectures. If you leaned towards the door, you could faintly hear his voice vibrating through the heavy wood.

You weren’t nervous. Not at all.

_Oh gods. I can only hope this will go well._

The doors jumped open. Startled, you flinched backwards and watched how a mass of students poured out, complete with their messenger bags, tired looks on their faces and empty coffee cups in their hands. When they passed by, you quickly entered the hall, squeezing yourself past some late people who were chatting among each other. 

There. Obito was still standing behind his desk in front of a huge whiteboard. Today, he looked better; not a weak shadow of a man, but healthier and stronger. As you watched from your vantage point, he started laughing with one of the students standing around his desk. The sight was mesmerizing; enough to make your breath hitch and your heart hurt.

For a few minutes, you allowed yourself to just look; how he treated his students, how he stood there with a cane and wildly gestured around, how he smiled and grinned and was lively. Dressed in a marine-blue button-down shirt, grey pants and comfortable looking shoes, he also could’ve easily passed as a student, if not for the age difference and the obvious life experience he oozed. 

You waited until even the last students ended their conversation with him. Only then, you climbed down the stairs, towards the desk and podium, where Obito was gathering all the papers, folders and a notebook. He struggled to stuff everything into his messenger bag, so you simply grabbed both edges of the bag and pulled them open, making it easier for him to slide his teaching materials into it.

“Thanks.” Unlike yesterday, there were no signs of him being in unbearable pain visible. There were no wrinkles, no tension in his body, and there was nothing telling you if there was even some kind of pain to begin with. Just a big, wide, boyish grin; an infectious one top of that. “Ready to get swept off your feet?”

“Not really.” Despite your answer, you tried to smile. “But I’m ready to listen more calmly today, and that is everything I can offer you.”

That sobered Obito up quickly. Sure, the smile diminished on his face, but it was still there, still living in his eyes as he placed his messenger bag over his shoulder. “Alright.” With his free hand, he gestured towards the stairs. “After you.”

Again, you climbed the stairs and were heavily aware of his presence in your back. Were your clothes fitting to the occasion? Were you ready to talk about the complete, absolutely ridiculous situation calmly and without any disturbances? Where did Obito plan to take you? The mensa? At the mere thought of talking about your former job in the always-lively halls of Konohagakure University, a cold shudder wandered down your spine. 

No. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to plan on taking you there. Instead of leading you down the already crowded paths, Obito gave you a wicked grin; one which made your knees go strangely weak and temporarily forget your own name, then he nodded at you in the same boyishly-rogued manner you already noticed.

Damn him. Damn Obito and his charisma. Despite his injury, despite the limp lingering in every step, despite the little ache in every expression he made, he still emitted the aura of someone with exorbitant confidence. Your heart was beating in your chest like the wings of a hummingbird, fast and unforgiving. Because you were so close to him, you could catch whiffs of his natural scent; something _deep_ and something slightly spicy, something terribly addicting to the point that you matched his step to catch more of that scent.

“Anything nice happened today?” Such a casual question. It was a necessity, and yet Obito made it sound that it was anything but that. Like he earnestly wanted to hear about your day, like he cared and like he…

_No use. Stop it. Let it be._

“Not yet,” you answered, “and I have little hopes for today, overall.”

“That’s unfortunate. Hopefully, we can still turn that around.”

Turn what around? Fate itself? His emotions? If he wanted to pretend to be in love with you, that would be an insult added to injury. A true slap in the face. You didn’t want sympathy; you didn’t want a man who was still thinking about someone else and just stayed with you because he believed no one else would ever want to be with him. 

But one step at a time. For now, you merely followed him down the hallway, watching out for any kind of hurt on his face and already expecting more hurt for yourself in the near future.

And yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by the most awesome Chisie ^^


	9. Ninth Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dreaded talk with Obito happens, and you fully expect to be gently let down. Little do you know...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya ^^ Welcome back! Here is the ninth chapter of BaCC and I'm so glad to be finally be here, at this point ^^ There will be a tenth chapter of course, and an eleventh chapter to satisfy some... lower needs, but after that, this fic will be finished. It's strange to think it will end so soon, but as I clarified on my tumblr, there will be a... not-quite-second part (think of it more as a second part in a novel series where one friend group slowly but steadily meets their "second halves" etc) in that universe, and possibly there might some appearances of Obito and this MC ^^
> 
> Anyway, here is the ninth chapter of Build a Close Connection! Have fun and see you all again in two weeks ^^

“Where are we going?”

It was probably one of the more pressing questions on your mind when Obito stepped onto the parking lot of the university that was reserved for the professors and working staff. While you walked beside him, you watched how the man fumbled around with his messenger bag, cursing under his breath, before coming up with a breathless grunt and the car keys in his hand.

“Kakashi told me about this café; a really nice place. They got good food and even better coffee, and one of Kakashi’s old buddies is running it.”

“What’s the name?”

He hummed lowly under his breath. “Something with “Cat”, but it’s also not one of those petting zoos. Just a normal café. Wait, wait. This one here.”

“This one?” You nearly walked past the unsuspicious car. It was a dark-blue, dirty-looking thing, invisible between all the more or less expensive cars. But Obito nodded as he walked to the driver’s seat door, which only left you with opening the door to the passenger seat and getting in. After a second of hesitation, you did just that: climbing into the car seat and watching how Obito dropped his cane in the back seat before following suit. He took a moment longer than you did, trying to maneuver his one stiff leg around without making it too obvious that he even had a stiff leg to begin with, before settling into the driver’s seat. 

He threw a hesitant glance at you, which you answered with a tiny, serious nod. His relief immediately showed on his face and lightened the mood as secured himself with the belt and waited for you to do the same before starting up the car. The engine started almost inaudibly, just a tiny whisper and a tremble running through the vehicle, telling you more than enough and yet arousing even more questions to ask.

Where the fuck did Obito get the money to buy an electrical car? Even though they became more and more accessible for “the common folk”, they were still way too expensive and impractical in most cases to really afford them. As you further inspected the inside of the car while the radio started to play, more and more questions came up. Even though the outside of the car was dirty and covered in dust, the inside was impeccably clean. Not even a parking ticket was left in the console, and when Obito pulled out of the parking spot and exited the lot, you were still trying to make sense out of the sheer ambivalence of the man. 

Obito: The widowed, impaired, still happy and smiling yet insecure professor of mechatronics. Tobi: the troubled, angry, sometimes raging and dominating customer, with the nerdy hobbies and the love for his wife which never faded.

Both shared the same body, the same voice, the same mind. They weren’t made to be detached from each other, despite all their differences. Obito was Tobi. Tobi was Obito. You had to learn that by now. Still, it was hard to see _your_ Tobi inside that man. 

Sneakily, like it was all just a big accident, your eyes landed on the man behind the wheel; hands relaxed against the leather, hair hanging into his eyes, the scars almost invisible in the sun coming from outside… 

“Take a picture, it will last longer.” Obito’s lips quirked up, dry and amusement shining through his words. One hasty glance at you before he switched lanes, checking all sides and all mirrors for any obstacles. “Jokes aside, is something wrong? Do you want to go back?”

“No, no.” Quickly, you relaxed back into your seat. “No, I was just… thinking.”

“About what?”

“About… well, this.”

“Yeah.” His laugh sounded even dryer than before. “Understandable.”

“I mean, this is so surreal.” You gestured outside, to him, to yourself. “How we met first, how we met for real a second time. Hell, us living in the same city is already unlikely. Do you know how small the chance of that is?”

“Astronomical.”

“Exactly my point.” You sighed out while Konoha passed by your window. “This is… Just complicated.”

Obito hummed. “Indeed.”

“I mean, do you even think we can work—?”

“This is something,” Obito turned right, always careful and almost crawling around the corner to the point of the man behind him throwing his hands into the air, “that we can talk about inside the café. We’re nearly there, I think.”

The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Not long enough to be awkward, to that extent you could agree, but nevertheless you felt a bit weird when Obito parked the car, opened his door and limped around the hood to open your own car door.

“Thanks.” You threw him an insecure smile as you got out. Then, you paused, only to turn around and reach for his cane in the back of the car. Your hands touched for just a split second, but the short contact sent lightning through your fingers. For a moment, you found yourself mesmerized. Mesmerized by that short zap, by the little, quirky smile flashing over his face as Obito looked down on you, by the softness of his hair brushing around his ears. Then, the moment was over and you stepped aside, your face flushing a bright red and fumbling with your bag as he pushed the door close.

“Ready?” Obito didn’t look that disturbed. Simply unfair, but to be expected. He didn’t feel anything for you. After all, he just wanted to clear things up so work wouldn’t get too weird for the both of you. 

“Yes.” And you were, steeled for the confrontation and the inevitable heartbreak which would follow said confrontation. One look left, one to the right and you crossed the calm street, right onto the doorstep of the “Forest Cat Café”. 

From the outside, the café looked like a quaint little place to spend a calm afternoon in. Through the big window, you spotted lots of plants, small tables with lovely wooden chairs with small pillows on them and a small, more secluded area with wide armchairs and small side-tables waiting to be filled with a cake, a hot beverage or something else to enjoy on your own. On the outside sat several people, all of them enjoying the company of each other and shielded from the sun by a big awning, adorned by white and green stripes. You walked past a chalkboard, announcing a special cake-and-coffee-combo for a reduced price, and nodded at Obito who opened the glass door for you.

“Thanks.” A short smile flashed over your face, unwillingly and yet forced by the manners he displayed. 

“No problem.” His warm voice was in your back as you stepped into the café, rumbling in your stomach and going to your head with wild fantasies and even wilder memories. Always, always a gentleman; that much you could say. 

The inside of the café was just as cozy as it promised to be. The air smelled of sweet cake and fresh coffee, there was a gentle mumble of the young waiters running around and taking orders; students—in fact—of Konohagakure University. You recognized them from the campus, saw them bickering and fighting among themselves, and still in a friendly way with each other. Some hidden speakers played some kind of 80’s or 90’s song, all soft and sheer _want_ speaking through every line the singer sighed into the mic. Sunlight streamed through the windows, gentle and illuminating the place with its earthy tones of brown, green and some dots of orange. More plants than you could count underlined the overall natural feel of the place, like you really stood in the middle of a forest. 

“Welcome to the Forest Cat Café!” One of the waiters, a young girl with pink hair and an absolutely adorable hair band in the shade of a cherry greeted you. Her green eyes opened and when they fluttered over to Obito, her eyes widened ever so slightly. “Oh, Professor Uchiha! Hello there!”

“Hey there, Sakura.”

“Do you need a table?”

“That would be lovely.”

“Alright!” Sakura smiled again, with all brilliant happiness and the perfect customer-service face in place. Even though she knew the man by your side, it didn’t affect her professionalism or mannerisms. With a soft gesture, she showed you the way to a small alcove right by the entrance, hidden by a strategic bookshelf and some potted plants. “Here we go. I will come back in a few minutes. We have a wonderful special today, if you order one of our fruity cakes, you can get a coffee for free!”

“Thank you.” For the first time since you entered, her eyes really took you in. They mustered you up and down, from the tips of your shoes up to your hair. She didn’t know where to put you, but you were also heavily aware that she probably thought Obito and you were on a date. Measured at the hasty shuffle away and her pulling aside a dark-haired boy with a seriously ridiculous hair style which reminded you of a duck’s butt, she remembered you in some way.

“Aaah, no. Not the little shit.” Obito groaned.

You turned your head at him. “Little shit?” you echoed.

With a nod, the man settled into the seat. His cane was placed right beside the table, hidden at the side and yet never out of mind. “The little grumpy guy over there. Name’s Sasuke. My little cousin.”

“Oh. Okay.” You followed suit and sat down, right across from Obito and the sun shining onto the left side of your face. “Will that be a problem for you?”

“Not really, no. Will just be a hassle to explain everything to Itachi, the worrywart.”

“His brother?” 

“The older brother, as well. Still younger than me, but he’s kind of like a mum. Can’t really do anything without him worrying.”

“Sounds fun, though.” They sounded close; way closer than cousins, more like brothers. “Do you have any other family? Siblings of your own, maybe?”

You instantly knew you touched a sensitive topic for him. Obito tried to play it down, but you could see the tiny spark of hurt in his eyes before he lowered them into the menu. “No parents,” he mentioned casually, “no siblings. Just a grandmother who died years ago, and the annoying extended family on my mother’s side.”

So, he was all alone. If the sympathy for him born from the realization of his past wasn’t already enough, it got buried under the realization that he was truly and utterly alone. 

“And your cousins?” You nodded at the moody-looking waiter. “Any family on their side?”

“Yeah.” Strangely enough, Obito’s expression darkened even more. “Their parents are the CEO’s of the Uchiha Corporation. Worked there for a while too, but they are all money-hungry, vile human lookalikes, so I got out of there as soon as I could to become a professor at the university.”

Harsh words for his extended family. This topic needed to be dropped immediately. It already felt way too much like a date, asking questions about his family and such. Not your place, gods, not at all. Awkwardly, you paged through your own menu, eyes blind as you stared into the laminated pages and trying to read the small letters. There had to be something to talk about, anything but the real topic Obito probably wanted to talk about—!

“What about you?” Obito’s expression had cleared up again, the wrinkles on his forehead gone, but not forgotten. “Any family around?”

“Yeah. My parents live in Sunagakure though.”

“Oh? You were also born there?”

“Yes. I moved here because I liked the greenery all around the city. And because of my studies.”

“The admin bachelor?” Obito set the menu aside. Apparently, he decided on something to eat, while you were still trying to figure out what you could even stomach with your angst-riddled throat and the tightly knotted stomach. 

“Yeah. That bachelor degree.” _Change of topic, fuck, change of topic!_ “What are you going for?”

Listening to Obito ramble on about the grilled sandwich he had his eyes on together with a house-made lemonade was simply relief to the tension. But you knew you were just avoiding the inevitable, no matter how hard you tried to steer your conversation away from any dangerous topics. Harder than you believed, but slowly, you grew in confidence.

You could do this. You could. You could get through this talk and pretend to be fine afterwards, when Obito gently let you down and was done with this whole ordeal. You would be fine. Yes, afterwards. 

“Sounds good to me as well,” you answered, “I think I will get the same.” 

Obito’s smile could’ve lit up an entire room, it was that bright and adorable with his closed eyes and the little dimple in his unmarred cheek. “Awesome! Kakashi said nearly three full sentences about the food, so it must be pretty nice according to his standards.”

“I’m looking forward to it, then.” 

Awkward silence settled over the small table. It was strange, that talking over the phone had worked like a charm, flowed effortlessly and without a hitch, and now in person, you barely got a word out which went past casual small-talk. Obito seemed to be just as stifled by the strange tension in the air. His hands wrestled with each other, the fingers tightly entangled and rubbing his scarred knuckles in an almost absent-minded caress. An endearing gesture. You wanted nothing more than to be brave enough to reach over the table and simply put your hand on his, but it wasn’t your place. So, you gritted your teeth and faked a smile when Sakura stepped again to the table, a small tablet in her hands and ready to take your orders. 

“Decided on something?” Her sea-green eyes glittered in badly hidden mirth as she quickly scanned the two of you. “Maybe a shared dessert or something?”

Almost instantly, Obito started to sputter. His words were jammed together and while he made sure to correct Sakura’s assumption, you became only more reassured in your knowledge of what was about to come. 

“We’re not—! Oh god, Sakura!” Seeking for help, his eyes fluttered over to you; big black puppy eyes, and you found yourself melting on the inside. “We’re really not what you think, I mean—!”

“What he means,” you interjected, “is we’re merely colleagues. Professor Uchiha wanted to explain something to me about the special paperwork involved with his coursework and some other bureaucratic bullsh—! Ah sorry, nonsense. Bureaucratic nonsense.” 

You shrugged like it was no big deal, then followed with a cool, disinterested smile, eyes closed and head cocked ever so slightly to the side. Casual confidence, like nothing was out of the ordinary with going on a lunch date with Obito. And in theory, it wasn’t. 

In theory.

Though, Sakura seemed to swallow the explanation without a second thought. Sure, her peppy smile from before faded a bit, but she was experienced enough to not let her obvious disappointment taint her voice. “Okay, then no dessert. What can I get you guys then?”

Obito confidently raised his hand to point out the choice of his on the menu. “Two of this, please.” 

Sakura scribbled your orders onto her pad. A last nod, one more suspicious glance fluttering over the table, then she was gone, off to bring your order into the kitchen. 

“Is she that invested in your life?” you asked, while you still followed her with your eyes around the room. Instead of taking the direct route, the girl made a beeline for a bright, blond boy, who was busy wiping down some tables and rearranging the decor, only to whisper something into his ear. The boy instantly looked up, his surprisingly blue eyes searching and finding your table. Weakly, you gave him a nod, a knowing grin spreading on your face. Even though he got caught red-handed, he didn’t waver one bit, just smiled and waved over, while Sakura rolled her eyes at him. 

Beside you, Obito let out a heavy sigh. “Oh no, it’s not only them. The entire school is a nest of gossip. You’re lucky you were not involved until now. They all worry way too much for their own good and push their noses into things which aren’t their responsibility, at all.”

“Like family?”

“A bit, yes. Like really nosy, extended family.” Another exasperated sigh. “Especially the last year of students. They think they can get involved in everything. Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke are one of the worst trios in that regard, even though Sasuke is more likely to get dragged around by the other two than actually participating.”

“Though, that’s really cute of them. In some way.”

“In some way, yes.” Obito grunted. However, you believed you sensed some kind of grumpy fondness for his students. Even his gesture—cheek in his palm and elbow shored on the surface of the table, all the while his eyes wandered over the whispering, working students—told you more than enough. 

Suddenly, you found yourself looking into his eyes. For a few moments, you could do nothing but stare and blink awkwardly, only to break the way-too-intimate contact with him as fast as you could.

Unfortunately, Obito decided it was time to speak about the thing you were supposed to speak about. Determination oozed from him with every move as he sat up straight, face serious and eyes still settled on the side of your face, while you could only stare blindly at the table, your hands entangled in your lap and not wanting to hear the upcoming talk.

“(Y/N),” he started, voice low and deliciously hoarse, “as nice as this is, we need to have a talk.”

Wordlessly, you nodded. No word would leave your lips until he finally had said what he wanted to say. You wouldn’t cry, you wouldn’t demand anything from him, you wouldn’t beg. No, you would walk out of this café with your head held up high, composed and controlled like always. 

“Fine.” He sighed, nodded himself, leaned back into the chair. “Great. So… Huh. This is harder than I thought.”

 _Say nothing. Say nothing, stay silent, be strong. He just tries to soften the blow, nothing else._

“What happened… How it happened… Damn, yeah, it’s… Really, really weird. But good-weird, you know?” His little chuckle nearly made you break your silence-oath. “It’s definitely not a bad thing, just unexpected. I certainly would’ve never thought to ever hear your voice again, not to talk about meeting you, talking to you… It’s… really something.”

_He’s just nice. He just plays nice to let me down gently. Ignore his sugar-coated words and wait for the blow, no matter how soft it will be._

Another little chuckle, and Obito continued, even weaker and softer than before. “I’m really glad to meet you again, because I think the last call we had kind of didn’t end on the right note. I want to make clear to you that I’m not in love with Rin anymore. I love her, but I’m not in love with her. How could I not? She was my best friend in school, my girlfriend and wife later on, but she’s been dead for a year.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I came to terms with that. And my feelings for her… They had time to come to term with the reality of things, as well.”

This… This wasn’t a gentle let-down. Your head jerked up, only to find him smiling at you. A tender, kind smile, the corners of his mouth slightly quirked-up and eyes… Oh gods, his eyes. Warm and comforting, seeing you and you _only_. 

You swallowed dryly. Still, no words left your mouth, and Obito took the opportunity of your stunned surprise to reach over and gently, ever so gently cup one of your hands in his. “That last call,” he murmured, still smiling and still soft, “was different from the others because… I made up my mind. I made up my mind about my feelings, about the initial confusion of it all, and the rest of it. I wanted to tell you what I feel for you, but then… it kinda slipped from my mind.”

His hand around yours was warm and strong, all comfort you needed to melt into the small embrace. Blinking some pesky tears away, you allowed your other hand to join. How it came to a rest on top of his hand, feeling the scarring press against your palm and the little twitch of his muscles at the contact. 

“But…” The words stumbled out of your mouth. “The… the stuff you said about Rin… That you would like to talk about her from time to time, that you still miss her… The pet names, I mean—!”

A little squeeze of his hand, and you fell silent once more. “Sure, I would like to talk about Rin from time to time. Yes, sometimes I miss her. But I’m not in love with her anymore. I miss her presence, as a friend, as a constant point in my life, but I’m not projecting my feelings for her onto you. I love,” suddenly, his face turned a very interesting sheen of red, “I mean, I _love…_ I would love to… get closer to you.”

 _This couldn’t be happening,_ your head tried to interject, _this couldn’t be happening. There was no way Obito just said what he said, it had to be an especially wild fantasy of mine, incredibly detailed and wonderfully real…_

“I see.” You nodded weakly, all the while your voice shook a bit around the edges. You coughed, tried to regain some composure, before nodding again. “I see now.”

He hummed. “Yeah. That’s… That’s just the stuff I wanted to tell you.”

Certainly, you would’ve sat there for hours and held hands over the table, if not for Sakura coming in with your food and drinks. Quickly, you loosened the grip, but not fast enough to not be seen by her. Her eyes were curled in a wicked grin as she settled the plates onto the table, winked at you and Obito before almost dancing away, in a beeline right up to the blond boy who couldn’t help himself but to sneak another, not-so-sneaky glance at the two of you. 

“Well,” Obito was on the same boat as you, measuring the two students up and down with his eyes, “that certainly will spice things up a bit.”

“The gossip mills will be terrible,” you added. 

“Oh, I bet they will be.”

“Will this get you in trouble?”

“No, not really.”

“Will this get _me_ in trouble?”

“Not more trouble than I will be.”

“Are they that relaxed about romantic relationships at the university?”

“Let’s say it like that,” Obito picked up the sandwich without a worry in the world, “last time they tried to enforce that policy, they found two of the department heads, several professors and assistants had relationships with each other. They had to let go of the policy if they didn’t want to fire half of the staff.”

He took an enormous bite, but left you with more questions than answers. Everything was happening so fast, that you couldn’t just eat and forget about everything. 

But before you could ask more, Obito swallowed down the bite of his sandwich with a jerky nod, both of his hands clamped around the bread like a starving man. “Before you ask,” a quick grin flashed over his face, “relationships with students are still a taboo. Relationships between staff members, led with responsibility and modesty though are good to go.”

“That wasn’t my first question, but definitely one of them.” 

“I figured that much. You should eat. This sandwich is awesome.”

Obito underlined his statement by taking another hefty bite, which prompted you to finally take up the sandwich and also start to eat. When you took the first bite, the cheesy goodness and the ham inside made you curl the toes inside your shoes. You didn’t even notice how hungry you had been until now, too tense to even try to swallow anything but the bitter pill you anticipated. 

But there was no bitter pill. No disappointment and heartbreak to swallow. So, you were left with the taste of the simple, grilled sandwich and the sight of Obito wolfing his own food down like he hadn’t had anything to eat in ages. Carefully, you continued to eat and watched at the same time the life in the café ramp up a bit as more and more people walked in and out. Lots of people seemed to like the food, drinks and other sweet treats they could buy here. By now, a man who was built like a tree, with chestnut-brown, shaggy hair and an adorably cute apron had stepped out of the kitchen and started to man the cash register, so the blond boy Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had free range over the tables. 

“Should I be concerned?” Obito’s voice ripped you out of your thoughts. He nodded into the direction of the man at the register, but his eyes were twinkling with mirth. “You’re staring at him.”

“I just think his apron is cute. Thought about getting one myself, you know?”

“Mhm… I mean, I think I could pull that look off as well.”

“Can you cook?”

“How dare you assume otherwise.”

“Well,” you sipped at your drink, “what can you cook then?”

Some underlying survival instinct told you that you fell right into Obito’s trap, measured at the devilish glitter in his eyes and the askew grin flashing over his face, just right before he answered. “I can show you. What I can cook, I mean. Friday evening, my home. Or your home, whatever you prefer. Food is on me.”

There it was. You choked on the next sip of your drink, coughed, tried to think. Think of something, anything, some kind of argument against that… _date_ , but there was no argument to be made. If you would try to, then Obito would be hurt; something you absolutely didn’t want. He deserved better—more than your insecurities and the selfish, unnecessary mental gymnastics to protect yourself from him when there was no protection needed in the first place. 

“Everything alright?” Obito’s worried tone made you look up from your drink. His dark eyes were fixated on you, his hand already reaching over the table to touch yours, but pausing right before he would actually touch you. This was so fresh, barely a few minutes old, he was still worried and scared and _nervous…_

Just as nervous and scared and worried as you were. 

“Yeah,” you nodded slowly, “everything is alright. I just need to… get used to this. I didn’t think this would be possible.”

Clothing this strange situation in words seemed so alien, so you didn’t. You just let it go, but decided that the best course of action was… forward. 

“Anyway,” you smiled at him, “I would love to experience your cooking. This Friday, your place. If you’re alright with that, of course.”

You didn’t need to hear the following words to know Obito would accept. No, you could read the answer in his eyes even before he opened his mouth, and a soft smile spread on your own face before you registered his answer. 

“Yes. I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biggest Kudos to Chisie, the lovely, hard-working soul <3


	10. Tenth Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date with Obito takes place, and the evening couldn't be more promising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! Welcome back! :D
> 
> Here we are ^^ Kind of a last chapter, but not really? The real ending will be in the next chapter, but there will also be lots of NSFW stuff involved. After all this time, I think it's time xD
> 
> Hope you guys like this chapter! It's pretty fluffy, to counter some of the angst from the last chapters ;D Thank you all for the ongoing support and see you all next week! :D

The following days went by in the blink of an eye. You could barely worry about meeting Obito in such a private setting. Only on the day before Friday, you realized with ice-cold clarity what day it was and how much there was left to do. Gods, you had to lay out some nice clothes, buy some easy alcohol to calm your frayed nerves, check the state of your best underwear… 

The works. Not that you were getting your hopes up or anything. No, absolutely not. 

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to do all these things either, right?

But damn, you didn’t even have Obito’s address or his phone number! And what wine was good to buy? 

There was no way around it, you had to ask him what he would need. Thus, that was how you found yourself with the phone in your hand, trying to bring up the courage to actually call him. 

_Gods, what am I doing?_

_This is ridiculous. I’m acting like a teenie all over._

_Come on, this is easy! I’m doing it all day, calling people all around the university and outside of it, so why am I such a scaredy-cat now?_

You swallowed. The finger hovering over the green button trembled ever so slightly. This was stupid. This was incredibly stupid. What was there to be scared of, still? Everything was clear! Obito said his part and you accepted it. What was left to be nervous about?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In a short moment of bravery, you pressed the green button. Instantly, the tutting in your ear told you the connection was about to be established. Your throat was dry, barren from any words or ideas what to say—

_“Konohagakure University, Professor Uchiha for Mechatronics speaking.”_

“Hey! Hey, Obito.”

 _“Oh?”_ The serious tone instantly softened to a slight tease. _“(Y/N). What a pleasant surprise.”_

“Yeah.” Your lips quirked up in a grin. “Yeah, sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to ask some stuff about tomorrow.”

_“Good call, then. I also wanted to ask some things.”_

“Okay, uhm… You can go first?”

_“No, no. You called me, so you go first.”_

“Okay,” you nodded, smiled, shook your head, “uhm… Damn, my brain is empty suddenly.”

_“Maybe it wasn’t that important, then?”_

“I doubt it.”

_“Strangely enough, I doubt that too.”_

“Oh, wait. Yes. First, where should I come on Friday and what kind of wine will go well with your dish?”

_“Aaaah. Yeah. Don’t worry about anything, I have all the ingredients, wine and all the other stuff.”_

“All of it?”

Obito laughed; a full, rumbling laugh deep in his chest. _“Yes, all of it.”_

“Can I help with anything?”

_“Maybe by giving me your phone number. Makes things easier. I don’t think you have a direct line to your work-landline.”_

“Not yet.” Biting your lower lip, you leaned back into your chair. His teasing tone made you want to tease right back; it came as easily as breathing to you. The playful lightness from before, together with the knowledge Obito was probably smiling as well right now, maybe twirling his finger around the spiral-cord just like you did at the moment, made you smile. “I don’t think I’m that eager to work all weekend.”

_“Mhm? Couldn’t possibly be because of a certain date…?”_

“What do you think?”

_“Oh, I’m definitely thinking about my own work. Like, totally.”_

“Why do I have trouble believing that?”

_“You know me just too well.”_

“Not well enough.” The words were faster out than you could think about them. Only moments later—after Obito again laughed his rumbling, low laugh in the back of his throat— you realized what you just said. Blood rushed to your head and you groaned, while his laughter accompanied his wheezed words.

 _“Oh Angel, I definitely plan to get to know you very thoroughly,”_ he answered, _“and I would like you to get to know me too.”_

Gods, how was this possible? Obito was so open and friendly, flirtatious and teasing, and honest about everything. How could he just say that? How could he just be… like that?

“Alright.” You were still fighting your blush as you went on, the words heavy on your tongue. “I will give you my number and you give me your address. And a time; when should I be there?”

_“My address is Kannabi Bridge 7. Maybe around 7, as well? Should I pick you up?”_

“No, no. It’s completely fine. Besides, you have to cook and that is probably pretty time-consuming already.”

_“Not too much, no.”_

“I will make it there by 7,” you said, still smiling widely. “Don’t worry about me. Anything else I should bring though?”

_“You, yourself and your lovely personality.”_

“Besides that.”

Obito thought for a moment. _“No, really. I have everything here with me. Just a question, are you allergic to anything?”_

“Not that I’m aware of.”

_“Any dislikes?”_

“No.”

_“Then I’m free to go with whatever I see fit, huh?”_

“Indeed.”

_“Then I just need your phone number now.”_

Quickly, you gave your number to him. Only seconds later, a weak ping and vibration resounded through the air, causing Shizune to look up from her own desk. In the distance, you saw Iruka’s ponytail also perk up, startled by the sudden sound. Again, you blushed at the rising attention and lowered your voice and head, whispering into the speaker. “Really? An immediate message?”

Obito laughed again, light and carefree. _“Of course! Now I can annoy you all day long with messages!”_ He sounded genuinely happy at the thought, planning already the many, many messages and annoyances for you. Well, you couldn’t find yourself being even slightly mad at the prospect. In fact, it sounded rather cute, so much so that you couldn’t help but _giggle_. Giggle so much that Shizune and Iruka exchanged a glance in the corner of your vision, and stood up, moving shoulder to shoulder towards your desk.   
Time to cut the call short. “Okay, I see,” you met Shizune’s eyes, then Iruka’s, “but I think I have to go back and do some work. Talk to you later?”

_“Oh, definitely. I won’t let you get away this time.”_

“Thanks, and…” You blushed, but met the eyes of your co-workers without any fear. “See you this evening.”

“Who was that?” Iruka immediately asked when the call was cut. He was eager for some office gossip, and even when you had been eager to experience office gossip, you weren’t too keen on being the target of it. Though, you didn’t seem to have much of a choice as you looked up into the expectant faces of your co-workers who welcomed you so warmly and with open arms. 

And Obito said it wouldn’t be a problem…?

“That was Professor… Uchiha. Obito. Uhm… It’s kinda new?” You shrugged and tried to play it off, but there was no playing off, not anymore. Shizune gasped, Iruka nearly choked, only for them both to shower you with questions about when, where and foremost, how.

~ X ~

After Shizune and Iruka grilled you enough, the rest of the day passed by quickly, accompanied by the sneaky, knowing glances of your co-workers. Their questioning hadn’t been as bad as you feared, though you had to skirt around the first 'meeting' you had with Obito for a bit. You weren’t too sure if you managed to fool them both, but honestly, you also couldn’t care less at the moment.

Kannabi Bridge 7. You punched the address into your phone and gasped when you realized Obito’s house was in the more expensive area of Konohagakure. During the entire way, you tried not to think too much about your clothes, about the anxiety curling in your stomach, about the wine sitting—despite Obito’s previous denial of needing to bring anything—on the passenger seat, about everything and anything. It didn’t help when the outside world turned from the urban surroundings of a bustling city into the tranquility of a suburban on the outer part of town. The noise of the cars faded away more and more, leaving you nearly alone on the road and wondering if you really got the right address. 

Finally, the navigation system showed that you had arrived. You almost didn’t dare look up from the road, but when you spotted the single house with the yellow walls, dark roof and solar panels mounted on top, with the green garden and flowers blooming, with an apron-wearing Obito already standing outside, you couldn’t help but gape at the sight.

Oh gods. All the gods in heaven. This house was a dream come true and Obito looking like a domestic man was only the cherry on top.

“You found it!” he exclaimed as soon as you got out of your parked car. “Good to see you!”

Before you could retort anything, his arms were wrapped around your waist. Obito scooped you up into a tight hug, his little chuckle vibrating in your ears and making the butterflies flutter wildly around in your stomach. 

Only after a few, long moments, Obito let go. His smile was as bright as the sun as his eyes wandered up and down your body. Like he couldn’t settle on a part he liked best. “You look fantastic.”

“Thank you.” Your blush probably reached up to your ears by now. “You also look fantastic. Your house especially. It’s amazing.”

Promptly, the man blushed as well, even though he tried to hide behind a little grin. “Oh, that? Yeah… it is quite nice.”

“Quite nice?” you echoed. “Are you kidding me? It’s overwhelming how great it is! How can you…?” Only a few moments after your mouth started the sentence, you remembered that speaking about money wouldn’t be a very good topic on a first date.

Thankfully, Obito merely shrugged. “In that regard, I guess I’m lucky. My parents died early, but I’m an Uchiha, so they left a quite big fund for me to inherit when I was 21. Just a little bit of money as a nest egg and to do responsible adult stuff with.”

“Just a little bit,” you echoed and shook your head as your eyes flitted over the gorgeous front of the house again. “Just a little bit. Yes, of course.” Then, after a short break in which your mind battled with your tongue, you added: “Just like how you’re just a little bit gorgeous.”

The entire conversation didn’t seem like it was bothering Obito much, but the last, hastily added comment unraveled him. His face turned to the color of a tomato and he couldn’t meet your eyes when he awkwardly gestured over to the entrance, a wonderfully crafted wooden door with glass panels and iron details at the sides, snaking like vines over the wood. “Alright… Uhm… Please come in, the dinner is almost ready. Uuuh… Yeah.”

Still with an awkward limp in his step, he walked up to the with a wave over his shoulder for you to follow. And you did, amused at his reaction and secretly delighted he was reacting so strongly to it. It made you want to tease him, ruffle his feathers a bit more, and see what kinds of shade the color of his face could turn to. 

When you stepped inside, you instantly noticed how… clean everything was. Seeing Obito, you expected just a little bit of dust and disorder everywhere. A hastily discarded book on a shelf, maybe a stray sock or two, and considering the state of his office at the university, maybe even some important files and documents he should’ve handed in months ago. But no, the entrance area was aesthetically pleasing, with a soft looking rug in a creamy-brown and a basket for indoor slippers right below the stairs leading up. A few pairs of dirty shoes stood on a rug right beside the basket, waiting to be used. And, like a forgotten afterthought, Obito’s dark cane leaned against a nearby cabinet for jackets and coats. 

The man was already walking ahead, still recovering from the sudden compliment without a doubt. Over his shoulder, he spoke to you, hiding the blush you caused. “You can take a pair of indoor slippers. I will be with you in a second, I think I heard a timer going off!”

Maybe he took this opportunity to calm down. That was alright with you. For you, it would be the perfect opportunity to stroll through the house for a bit and see what Obito deemed important. One last look around the entrance, then you followed the man through the door, of course not without slipping a pair of the slippers over your feet. 

You entered a modern, clean kitchen. The scent of freshly cooked rice laid in the air together. Obito stood in front of the stove, his face slightly sweaty and the sleeves of his marine-blue shirt rolled back, revealing muscular forearms. Some wisps of his black hair hung into his forehead and only when you stepped closer to check the inside of the pot, the man noticed you.

“Interested?” His lop-sided grin was devilishly-handsome. “It’s just risotto, I hope you don’t mind. Just in case, I also have some other stuff ready. I could whip up pasta, if you don’t like this dish, that’s no problem—!”

“Risotto is fine,” you stopped him with a smile. “It smells heavenly.”

Indeed, it did smell heavenly. As you peered inside the pot, you could spot the peas and carrots, as well as the rice, all cooked together in a hearty vegetarian dish. “It smells like cheese in here.”

“Oh, yeah. I needed some and used that grater over there. It was smelly.”

Indeed, the scent of the strong cheese laid in the air, nearly overbearing the other smells. But you were also so close to Obito, his personal scent overshadowing nearly everything. Some kind of cologne or showering gel, musky and tempting and so incredibly delicious that you wanted nothing more but to bury your head in the crook of his neck and breathe him in. 

Your body must have acted on its own; on your deepest desires and wishes. Before you realized, you leaned into him, your nose so close to his neck and breathing in the smell of the man. 

Obito’s entire body went as still as stone. At first, you didn’t even notice, just indulged yourself in your selfish need, but after a few seconds, you realised how absolutely inappropriate your actions were. With a hasty breath in, you stumbled backwards, already going red in the face again. “Sorry,” you mumbled, “I didn’t… I didn’t think, I mean, it wasn’t—!”

Obito was just as red as before. The way he looked at you, the little squint of his eyes, but also the little spark of _something_ in the deep darkness of them made you look away, just as much as it made you take one more step backward, only to turn away. 

“I will just…” You waved over into the rest of the room. Thankfully, the kitchen was adjoined with the living room; a little bit of space away from Obito’s smoldering look would be enough to compose yourself. “I will just go and… uhm, sit down.”

“Do that. I will join you in a bit.”

His raspy voice followed you as you walked past the kitchen isle and right into the living space. Again, the living room was almost immaculate. The walls had been painted mostly white, but only when you stepped closer to a wall which was painted orange, you saw that the previous white was more of a beige, just slightly intermixing with the orange to create a harmonious scenery. The entire room was shaped like a capital ‘L’, with the kitchen sitting in the shorter stroke of the letter. Right opposite of the kitchen was a glass door leading outside to the terrace and a garden, a wonderful piece of green grass and a tree waiting in further away from the terrace, inviting anyone to lay down in its shadow and enjoy the breeze of the wind to the fullest. You passed by a table with six chairs sitting idly around it, two of the places already decked in and prepared for the food. To the left was the living room, obviously suited to take care of someone with a crippling injury. The armchair was accompanied by a metallic, sturdy looking handle, obviously made for Obito to help him to push himself out of the seat whenever his leg couldn’t fully support him. Every little furniture was pushed apart, making space for the wider, more secure stance of a man who couldn’t fully trust his legs. The rug looked soft enough to possibly soften a fall onto his knees.

There were a few more details showing off Obito’s personality. You finally saw a few books littered on the coffee table with different bookmarks sticking out from between the pages. Plants were scattered over all surfaces, most of them succulents and thus, easy to care for. Of course, there was a big TV hanging on one wall, with shelves of all kinds of DVDs at both sides. And, also hanging off the walls, there were pictures. Pictures of Obito, unharmed and without scars, and of a woman with brown, chin-length hair and a wide, happy smile.

Rin. Automatically, you stepped closer to the next picture. Rin and Obito were hugging each other, his eyes closed and her eyes obviously curled with mirth. Trees were surrounding them, maybe they had visited some kind of park and someone had taken that shot. Their hands were intertwined, their wedding rings touching ever so slightly. They looked happy, not knowing that fate was a cruel thing.

“Everything alright?” Obito’s voice floated through the air. “Do you need some company?”

“I mean, if you have the time to leave dinner alone…?”

“Sure, it just needs to sit for a few more minutes now.” Slow steps followed his statement, only for Obito to emerge from the kitchen. His eyes zeroed in on you, then fluttered over to the pictures. His mouth opened in a silent “oh”, only for him to limp over. “Here you are.”

“Here I am,” you echoed. Then, you gestured upwards to the many, many pictures of Rin and Obito together. “She was beautiful.”

“She was.” Obito nodded. For a moment, neither of you said anything, just stared at the pictures. What could possibly be going on inside his head right now? Was he remembering the happy times with Rin? Their plans for the future, the dreams and hopes and wishes? Or was he comparing her to you, deep down inside his heart?

“You are, too.”

You blinked in confusion. Only after a few seconds, in which Obito continued to stare intensely at the pictures and blushed, the compliment reached your brain.

“Aaah… Thank you.” 

“No need to thank me.” A quick glance at you. “It’s the truth, after all.”

Deflection had to work, right? “Thanking you is the only polite thing to do.”

“It might be. Though…”

“What?”

“Are you alright with these pictures of Rin? Seeing them?”

You paused. Were you bothered by her pictures? No, you decided after a few more seconds of looking at the pictures, the mementos of a life before a horrible accident weren’t bothering you in the slightest. “These pictures don’t bother me. Rin will always be a part of you and I wouldn’t want to change that. I thought you were using me as a replacement, but you already assured me that wasn’t the case.”

“It isn’t.” Obito instantly threw in. “That totally isn’t the case. I like you for being you.”

More blushing, but you met his eyes with some kind of confidence. “And I like you for being you.”

More silence. Though, you weren’t as focused on the pictures in front of you anymore, but on the man standing by your side. And he was too, exchanging glance after glance and smiling to himself whenever your eyes met his. A comfortable silence, only disturbed by another timer going off and Obito quickly excusing himself to make the last touches for dinner. 

Slowly, you followed him, propping your arms up onto the kitchen isle and watching how he transferred the risotto from the pan into a bowl. Then, like he had done so many times before, Obito transferred the previously grated cheese into the rice, mixing it with the risotto. Peas and carrots were showing as he did, and your stomach rumbled ever so slightly. 

He looked up from his task, the weak smirk on his face making you tingle all over. “Hungry?”

“Very much so,” you gave back. “And the smell doesn’t help.”

“That good?”

“Yes. _Oooooh_ , yes.” You could hear your stomach rumble once more, but couldn’t care less when Obito carried the bowl over, his hands protected by a pair of simple red mittens. Quickly, you walked past him into the kitchen and spotted a bottle of wine waiting there. An opener also sat right beside, so you grabbed both and headed back to the table. 

“What?” You smiled when you caught Obito looking at you, face unusually serious. 

However, he merely shook his head. You had no idea what that was about, though you didn’t question him too much, just lowered yourself into the seat he offered. Another weak smile from him, then he reached for a spoon to serve you some of his risotto.

“Should I pour some wine?” you asked him as Obito placed the first spoonful on your plate.

He nodded, his eyes transfixed and focused entirely on the food; possibly to avoid spilling anything on the clean white table cloth, or your clothes, or his clothes. There was a wide number of possibilities, after all. 

Quickly, you poured the wine into the set glasses, all the while working around Obito. Like an old routine, as though you were tuned to his motions, and he let you do whatever you needed to do too. It was calming, knowing he trusted you around him and in that sense, so much so that your heartbeat nearly returned to normal when you sat down again and looked at him. 

Just… nearly. It would probably never really return to normal when you were close to Obito.

“Thanks for the meal.” You raised your glass and waited until he ever so slightly clinked his into yours. “And thanks for the good company.”

“Thanks for both,” he echoed after you. A single sip at his glass, then he placed the wine glass back on the table. You followed his example, picking up your own spoon and taking a bite of the risotto.

The dish not only smelled heavenly, it also tasted like heaven. You moaned around the first bite of sticky rice, carrots and peas, the lingering taste of cheese melting on your tongue. Gods, it was so good, especially on your empty stomach. An easy, hearty and tasty dish. Perfect for a first date.

“And?” Obito spoke up between two bites. “How do you feel about your work? Everything alright? Are the others nice to you?”

“Oh, it’s good. It’s really going good. Shizune and Iruka though noticed your messages to me and kind of tickled the info out of me.”

“Damn.” However, Obito didn’t look like he was overly sorry. “Well, the cat is out of the bag I guess. Tomorrow, the entire university will know.”

“Are they such gossipers?”

Obito nodded while taking another sip of his wine. “Definitely. Be prepared to be interrogated by everyone.”

“Great.” However, you could barely keep your lips from quirking upwards at the prospect of that. Again, you couldn’t help it— like always in Obito’s presence. “Can’t wait for it.”

Your heart stumbled when his hand brushed against yours after he placed his glass on the table. The innocent skin-to-skin contact, paired with another shared smile made you want to jump up, grab Obito by the collar and—!

“I also have dessert waiting, if you want any?”

“What kind of dessert?”

“Just mousse au chocolat, and I’m not even sure if it’s even any good.”

“I’m sure it will be great.” 

He moved out of his seat, motions controlled and secure. The limp was almost unnoticeable as Obito walked into the kitchen, and your eyes followed. Followed and took in the man in all his glory. It was no accident your look got caught at his butt, appreciating the roundness and movements right below the loose cotton, tightening just in the right places to make your mind go crazy. But honest to the gods, Obito worked hard for his body and it showed. Showed how many hours he spent on his strength and control of his motions, but also bettering his body to make it attractive for himself again.

His hard work paid off, that was all you were thinking to yourself when Obito returned, a small glass-bowl in each hand. With an overly exaggerated gesture, he served the bowl, and you saw the small spoons caught between his fingers as well. “Here. Hope it’s alright.”

The mousse au chocolat looked just as delicious as the risotto did. Topped off with some strawberry slices and just a dab of sweet cream, the dessert promised scandalous sweetness and you were thrilled to try it. And heavens, Obito delivered the best results for the dessert as well. The mousse melted on your tongue, the rich chocolate and fresh strawberry mixing with the light sweet cream to become a wonderful taste straight from the heavens. 

You must have moaned around the spoonfuls of mousse, as Obito was looking at you from the side while his own spoon hung in the air. 

“That good?” he asked, the lopsided grin softened by the sparkle in his eyes. 

You nodded, still carefully tasting every spoon and trying to hold yourself back from shoveling the dessert into your mouth like a caveman. Did he have more? Could you get a second serving? Scratch that, could you get any leftovers he had in his fridge?

Obito was still watching you with an amused sparkle in his eyes as you scratched out the bowl in search for the smallest trace of leftover-mousse, so very obviously mesmerized by the taste. “It’s really that good, huh?”

Enough. That was the third time he asked if his food was good and you had it. If he didn’t listen to your words, then you had to show him how tasty it had been. Abruptly, you moved the plates and bowls out of your way, before reaching over. Your hand buried itself in the back of his neck. He looked right at you, his eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Too surprised by your motions to say anything.

Despite your earlier forcefulness, you slowly inched closer, making sure the man was comfortable. It seemed to dawn upon him what you were planning, because he didn’t resist when you pulled him in. 

Pulled him into your mouth.

Obito’s lips were nothing like you ever expected. Soft and scarred, a bit rough and yet gentle against your own, hesitant and yet accepting your kiss without any reservations. For a moment, you just pressed your mouth to his, enjoying the sensations and taste. A little bit of the risotto and lots of the mousse au chocolat flooded your senses, though underlying everything was something so unique to the man you couldn’t even put a finger to it. Just like Obito, with lots of different sides and so intertwined, you couldn’t separate one from the other.

Carefully, you pressed forward. His lips stayed closed, just for a moment though. Then, with a low moan rumbling deep in the back of his throat, Obito opened his mouth to allow your tongue to meet his. Your head swam as you smiled into the kiss. Gods, you loved him. Loved to be here like this, kissing him, _finally_ , after all the hesitation, fear and doubts. 

His hand touched your extended arm. Fingers caressed your skin, wandering further and further up until he was cupping your face. Warm and secure, the scars of his palm pressed against your cheek. A shudder wandered down your back at the touch. Fuck, you were so utterly bewitched by him already and Obito probably had no idea. Thankfully. Who knows what he would do _if_ he knew.

Eternities seemed to pass while you kissed across the table. But at some point, you had to retreat. A last, lingering flick of your tongue against his, and you withdrew. His sight made you grin. Obito seemed like a bulldozer had run over him. His eyes were closed and his face slack, looking so utterly dazed that an odd sense of pride swelled in your chest.

“You,” you breathed into his lips, your own head hazy as your mind circled around the taste of Obito on your own tongue, “can cook for me anytime you want. Anytime, you understand? It’s that good.”

In the close proximity, you heard him swallow dryly. “O-okay.”

Finally, his eyes fluttered open. Yours met his, getting caught in each other. Silence reigned, telling of unspoken promises and out-in-the-open emotions. Again, your fingers drew tender lines over the back of his neck, just like his fingers continued to tap a slow, steady rhythm against your cheekbone. 

“Angel.” His voice was even hoarser than usual. “You will kill me one day. In the best way possible.”

Suddenly, a rather urgent, important question popped into your head—just as sudden as the urge to kiss him had come over you. Again, you breathed a peck to his lips, enjoying the hitch in Obito’s breath at the soft gesture, before opening your mouth again.

“Alright, Tobi… I have just one last question.”

His answer came instantly. “Go ahead.” 

“For whom were the nicknames you called me in our last call? For Rin, possibly?”

For a moment, you thought Obito swallowed a toad. He croaked, face bright red and hands cramping around each other. So, you pushed forward, just genuinely curious and mildly confused about the creeping redness spreading further and further over his face, neck and even collarbones. “I mean, you called me ‘Angel’ all the time, but in that call, you said ‘love’ and ‘kitten’ to me. That was one of my reasons for thinking you were seeing me as a replacement for Rin, because I thought those were nicknames for her. Is that assumption correct?”

More stuttering, more blushing and definitely more distance. Obito was pulling back, while he tried to find the words to possibly explain the last mystery left about that fateful call.

“Oh, that… that, oh my. That’s… I mean… No, these weren’t nicknames for Rin. Definitely… no, not at all.”

Interesting. “Then, for whom were the nicknames?”

“For… for you!”

You blinked. Once, twice. Then, you cocked your head to the side, weak confusion overcoming your mind. “For me?” you echoed. 

“Yeah!” Obito nodded, only to bury his face in the palms of his hands. “Urgh, it’s… it’s fucking embarrassing. It’s… I had fantasies about you before, alright? And, I don’t know, Angel became your real name to me somehow because I didn’t know your true name, of course. Then, I was just so carried away I was saying all kinds of nicknames and I didn’t even realize I said them at all, because these were my nicknames for you and I never thought you would ever love me, so—!”

“So?”

His chest rose as he sighed deeply. “Love… Love was for outside the bedroom. And…”

“Kitten for inside?” you asked. “For inside the bedroom and for situations where you’re in charge?”

Again, Obito nodded. Red still tinged his cheeks, absolutely adorable and so fucking hot you could feel the lust pulse through your entire body. So, you absolutely had no choice but walk over, straddle his lap and sling your arms around his neck. Your body was so close to his. Every curve pressed into him, feeling his warmth seeping through your clothes as you smiled up at him. His hands came to a rest on the swell of your hips, squeezing your flesh and making you shudder just the tiniest bit. 

“So… I’m Love.” Out of instinct, you breathed a kiss to his left cheek, scarred and tinged red as it was. “And I’m Kitten.” A breathy moan—nothing more—dropping onto his right cheek. “And most importantly, I’m Angel for you.” This nickname, you sealed with a kiss to his mouth. Instantly, Obito reacted, pulling you closer while he moaned into your mouth, absolutely desperate for your touch and kiss. 

“Always,” he whispered between kisses, “always, always Angel… Fuck, (Y/N)—!”

“And you,” a purr dropped from your lips, “you will always be Tobi for me. Inside and outside the bedroom. Tobi and Obito, both at the same time. I love them both. I love you.”

Obito stilled. His breaths crashed into your wet lips as his forehead sunk against yours. Nose to nose, you breathed him in, his very presence as he tried to catch his breath. His hands were still squeezing your hips and a noticeable bulge was growing in his pants. He breathed you in; breathed in your excitement, and taste, and scent—your very soul as you bared yourself in front of him. It was so easy, as he took the first step a few days ago by confessing his feelings first. And yet, you nearly gave in to the tears glistening in your eyes as the man nodded slowly, smiling as he did so. “Fuck, Angel. I love you, too. I love you so much my heart hurts sometimes. Yet, as stupid as it sounds, the only thing I know for certain is that your voice makes it all better. I don’t feel the pain of my body when I’m with you. It’s not gone, but I can forget.”

“Tobi…”

“Sssh.” Another kiss to seal the words inside your mouth. “Thank you. Thank you, Angel. _Thank you_.”

His beautiful words unraveled you. Tears rolled down your face as you smiled; smiled and laughed as Obito chuckled as well. Together, holding onto each other, not daring to let go for one second. You just wanted to be as close to Obito as possible, and if it meant clinging to him for the entire evening, well, that’s what you will do. There were no more kisses needed to show him what he meant to you, but you kissed him anyway. Slow, languid kisses, growing shorter and shorter until each one only lasted a few moments. Butterfly-kisses breathed upon his skin, tingling caresses that made Obito and you giggle. Little pecks to his forehead, cheeks, tip of his nose, chin, jaw and finally, his lips… 

“Angel,” he whispered between kisses, “Angel, oh god. I think we should…”

“Mhm.”

“I think this is fine, but…” His hands on your hips tightened.

“Mhmmm.”

“I don’t think sleeping with each other would be…”

“Alright,” you mumbled, before pressing another kiss to the scarred side of his face. “I think so, too.” 

That seemed to catch Obito by surprise. He leaned away, making you whine out of instinct at the loss of warmth and contact. “Really?” 

You nodded. “Really. It would be too soon. But I also think it would be nice to be close to each other right now. Want to take it to the couch to make-out a little bit longer and get comfortable?”

His eyes opened with a sudden snap and when he looked at your face, you thought he was looking for a hint of hesitation. However, there was none, so the lazy satisfaction spreading on his face made your skin tingle all over at the promises held.

“That sounds like a really lovely idea.” Obito wiggled his eyebrows, before he heaved you with a grunt into the air. 

A little shriek escaped and you scrambled to get to the ground, but Obito merely laughed. He took a few steps and you were trying to get to the ground to ease the burden on his leg, but then you were dropped onto the wide couch with the man looming over you, in all his dark glory you imagined so many times when he just had been Tobi and a mysterious, hoarse voice on the other end of the phone line. 

“Well there, kitten.” One hand came to cup your face and automatically, you leaned into the warm touch. “Your wish is my command. Scoot over, and then I would like to get to know you _very_ closely.”

Needless to say, you excitedly followed his suggestion and were rewarded with a soft, gentle float on cloud nine as Obito’s lips again found yours, while your hands started to explore each other with all the care in the world.

The date, you decided later on, was a full success. Proof were your slightly swollen lips, the afterimage of his hands burning on your skin and the warm feeling inside your chest that made you smile all the way back to your flat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by the most awesome person on the planet, Chisie! <3

**Author's Note:**

> All the kudos, glory and hail to Chisie, the most amazing beta-reader ^^


End file.
